Didn't I Feed You Yesterday__ A Mother's Guide to Sanity in Stilettos - Laura Bennett [19]
The fact that all these children have all these places to be is actually the easy part. Getting there is the hard part. There is no SUV parked in the driveway ten feet from the kitchen door. These children are not conveniently delivered door to door in the safety of their car seats. We perform a balancing act involving taxis, buses, subways, strollers, and Snuglis.
Taxis can be difficult to get, especially if the weather is bad, and as the meter ticks up, your bank account ticks down. Buses tend to have older passengers with little patience for a crying child. Nicole once got into an argument with a patron complaining about Larson that ended in the bus driver pulling over and the man fleeing. Subways present an array of problems. While they are undoubtedly the fastest way to get around Manhattan, they are not handicap friendly, and traveling with a child in a stroller is basically the same as wheeling around an invalid.
Alicia was once in a subway station on her way to pick up Cleo from school; she had four-year-old Peik in a stroller. When they got to the turnstile, she asked Peik to get out of the stroller so she could maneuver it through. He did as he was asked and went through the turnstile just as the next train was pulling up to the platform. The doors opened and he stepped in. The doors closed and the train pulled away. Unfortunately, Alicia watched the entire scene from the turnstile, where she was wedged in by the menacing Maclaren.
Resourcefully, she picked up the nearby emergency phone and had a calm conversation with a dispatcher. The transit people told her to wait at that station; the police would apprehend the little escapee at the next station and bring him back to her. Within a few minutes, Alicia had Peik back, safe and sound. She wasn’t even late to pick up Cleo.
When she returned home, she burst into tears in a delayed panic attack and fearfully recounted the story. She was sure she would be fired.
“What will Peter say?” she blurted between sobs.
“Peter will say he had no idea there were emergency phones in the subway. Peter will say he was glad it happened with you and not me, because you handled it so well. Peter will say you deserve a bonus.”
WE MAY HAVE PLENTY OF HELP DURING THE WEEK, BUT UNTIL RECENTLY Peter and I were full-time parents on the weekends. As much as I hated being stuck in the kitchen preparing three seven-person meals a day, I have to admit that Peter had the more difficult task. The amount of activity required to keep the boys occupied when they don’t have school is immense.
“I need a youth replacement,” Peter said, exhausted on the sofa one Sunday evening after a marathon of boy activities. “I’m old; I can’t do this every weekend.” He was right. Hide-and-seek, bike riding, swimming, skiing, catch—the man needed some downtime. He worked hard all week and worked even harder on the weekends.
Blake first introduced himself to me in the lobby of my big kids’ school. He had no idea we were looking for a manny.
“Hi, Laura, I’m Blake. I just wanted to tell you what a big fan I am of your work.” I’m never surprised by the variety of people who watch Project Runway. I meet a lot of men who watch it with their daughters or wives, so a man in his thirties didn’t set off any alarms.
“Thanks, Blake. What are you doing here?” I wasn’t sure whether he was a young father or a teacher.
“I’ve worked with a family for many years whose boys go here. They’re grown now, and don’t really need me anymore, but I try to get by at least once a week and spend some time with them.”
“What do you do now?” I asked, suddenly registering