Time Flies

Months ago I was delighted at the prospect that I will be a full time parent. Months later, I was caught sobbing while I was folding laundry. BORED TO TEARS.

The novelty of stay at home priviledge began to wear off when

• the list of "things to fix" neared completion, well, it is complete,
• the garden is over packed with little room for plants, to be precise there is no more room left,
• the garage is overflowing with a garage sale that never seem to happen, namely junk I cleared out from the house,
• there is no more grass to mow, the only grass are brown,
• the biggest excitment of the day came when the last piece of 5 loads of laundry is folded,
• errr ... everyone's shirts (including the 4 year old) are ironed,
• the kids still nick pick at dinner despite the gourmet spread,
• everyone just pranced with muddy (pooppy) shoes over the freshly scrubbed carpet,
• the dogs just rubbed their mud covered bellies on the freshly bleached walls,
• no one cares if the bread is fresh made or store bought,
• you want more??

So the trade-off, battled between parenthood and career. This is a difficult dilemma for most parents, especially single parents. We have an increased personal need to bond and protect the children, yet the sacrifice to provide the needs. A fine line divides the 2 parties, almost like slicing a person into 2, one for career and one for family. Depending on the career, well, any jobs now, the tolerance for single parenthood is at drought stage.

Firstly, the cost of childcare is staggering, 2 full-time children in day-care totals $250.00 per week. Approximately, $6.25 per hour (before tax) contributes to childcare expenses. Please note that minimum wage is only $5.25 per hour, in addition, 25% of the paycheck is immediately deducted for FICA and other taxes applicable by state and federal regulations. The mathematics on this is just mind-bloggling, the justification to work is to pay for the childcare? *scratching head.

Nextly, the workplace demands entirety. Entirety? All or nothing. The full attention to the employer is all that matters, no apologies if your baby-sitter is unavailable or the school has called you 3 times to retrieve your sick child. The little voice bellows in the background, "Wish I don't have to work, so I can just stay home with my children." Be careful what you wish for.

"Weekend and evenings included." That is not for the mobile service, that is your work schedule, thus the dilemma continues for the single parent, what about the children?

Months later, I have savoured both menus presented in its entirety. With winter approaching, the potential for cabin fever developing into insanity is extremely high. The volatility of the mental hyperactivity may result in mental insanity. Words of a mentor, "It is dangerous when an engineer gets bored, because that was how the atomic bomb came around." How true.

My lungs prepares for the large breath before taking the plunge, HOT (101F) summer splendour in my backyard oasis down to the pipes. Exhale, (with the faint scent of the fabulous homemade ravioli lunch), the layer of accumulated dust is blown into the wind. Revealed under a cloud of allergens, my resume. Painfully, I pened the corrections and updates, reaching mental hinderances due to mental inactiveness. Here I thought I was just getting old, I am getting old and forgetful!

How time flies, not only did I lose my body to another pant size, my mental capabilites slipped another notch. Beware, I may be seen walking down the street with pocket protectors, clutching a spiral notebook, rocking and chanting... "KMART Sucks". Uh-Oh.