Sunday afternoon

Once again, Sunday afternoon rolls around. It's been a lazy day for the most part, doing laundry and trying to stay cool. We've had electricians here this afternoon working on the kitchen, so staying out of their way has also been key.

As I'm sitting here watching Peter Pan with Reed, I'm beginning the dread of going back to work tomorrow. This is a struggle I have every weekend - I will have such a great time with Reed all weekend long, and it's always bittersweet to see it come to an end.

Going to work is just part of my life. It's something I've known that I would do for the majority of my life. It never occurred to me that I might have the opportunity *not* to go to work every day. I'm not a teacher like my parents were or my sister is, so I don't get the luxury of two or three months straight off during the summer. If I did, I might find it even harder to get back in the groove after an extended break.

Logically, I know that going to work makes me a better mom. It's not just the money, though it provides us with a lifestyle we wouldn't otherwise be able to afford. It stretches my mind. It gives me adult conversation and interaction. Most of the time, it's fun. Emotionally, it's hard to remember that there are very good reasons that I go to work. I try to remind myself that I don't have the patience to stay home with Reed full-time, but I think I feel that way because I've never had the opportunity to do so and establish a network of SAHM happenings. I only get to be with him on sick days, and they're no fun anyway so it's not like we'd be going out and doing things under those circumstances.

And daycare - or "school" as we call it - is so good for him. He is learning so many games and songs and just factoids - like "there are volcanos in Hawaii" - that it would never occur to me to teach him or introduce to him. He loves his friends, and his friends - especially the girls - love him. He's been walking around here for the past week singing "little bunny foo-foo, I don't want to catch you, picking up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head." He's having fun, and I have to remind myself of that almost every morning when I'm trying to walk out the door.

With logic and emotion battling, I have to keep reminding myself that there are multiple reasons, and overthinking them is not the way to go. It just makes it harder to let him go on Monday mornings.