The Sitter

Sitting.

Still sitting.

How do you think the average stay-at-home mom would react to the following statement? “Stay-at-home moms sit around all day.” Can you hear the uproar? Now, I’m a suburban stay-at-home mama for a mere 12 weeks and my experience is limited to only an infant, but I can say this: There’s an awful lot of sitting around taking place. Why? Because this child must eat 8 to 12 times per day. Nursing is not the fastest process, nor is downing a bottle of breast milk or formula. Then there’s the burping, followed by rocking. In other words, I find that staying home during the day equates to way too much sitting around. I sit and sit and sit. It makes me bonkers, being stuck in a chair, thinking about everything I need to do! As a result of all this sitting, I have been watching an unhealthy amount of TV while I feed, burp, rock. Hours and hours pass with old episodes of Law and Order, The West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Sex and the City, Will and Grace, and so on. I tried reading, but I realized I can’t turn a page with one hand. When Charlotte finally goes down for a nap, I jump into action, tackling the 14 loads of laundry that accumulated since last night, washing and sanitizing the bottles that are engineered with more complexity than the latest space shuttle, and, if I’m lucky, taking a shower. Then I hear a cry, and I turn off the water and let the dishes stay dirty, the laundry unfolded, the e-mails unread, and I forfeit putting on make-up. Instead, I pick up my baby girl. Not too long later, there we are again—sitting. Still, sitting and sitting and sitting gives me lots of time to stare at that cute little face and play with those sweet little hands. And I suppose that’s better than chasing around a toddler, no?