I'm not sure when this started happening. I didn't really notice at first. I guess maybe i didn't actually care. And then I did notice, and now I seem to care. A lot.
So it appears the other mothers at school pick up seem to be looking kind of tired. Not the tired from staying up all night with newborns. Not the sleepy from "I've been nursing a 4 week old all night". Not the "my 11 week old refuses to be Ferberized" kind of tired. Rather, this is the "I've resigned myself to frumpy and i don't care" variety. Safe to say, this is the worst kind of exhausted there is.
These ladies are not new moms. At all. Some of their youngest are 5 or 6. 5 or 6! That means that the last time they were pregnant was 60 months ago! Yes, 60. I did the math. In my head.
Ok, I understand that not all kindergarten kids sleep through the night. Some have bad dreams. Others wake up for water. Or to pee. Or because they drank so much water they peed in their beds. All over their sheets. And pillow cases. And duvet covers...
But i also know that there is ample time in the morning to take a shower. Or spray that dry shampoo on your greasy roots. Or just to comb your hair. Maybe change out of those shiny and sort of sad yoga pants. I know you didn't do yoga today. I also know that you don't plan on going to yoga this afternoon. Or tomorrow. I'm willing to bet my lunch that you've not done yoga this year. Or perhaps ever. But I digress.
So, as I stand in the play yard, waiting for my kids to come flopping out of their public school, I look through my dark (and very fancy) sunglasses at the moms waiting around. Now, to be clear, there are not actually that many mothers at school to pick up their offspring. Sure, some of the moms are at work, but most of the nannies I know work for stay at home moms. This means that the moms stay AT home while their nanny picks up their kids. From school. School runs from 9-3:30, but still there are moms without jobs who don't pick up their little ones after the day is out. But I don't judge. Much. Anymore. Some of these moms are my close friends. And they're happy. Skinny. Happy. And always with great hair.
Anyway, where was I going with this? Mothers at school? After deciding that the majority of these ladies looked tired, I wondered why? Sure, they were over 35, but what was keeping them up? What was keeping them from looking fresh? Happy?
Their kids were perfectly dressed and rested. An adorable pink denim dress. The perfect tiny white jean jacket from Joe Fresh. And these moms were still in their yoga gear. Not a studio or mat in sight.
Perhaps part of the problem stems from the fact that they can't seem to look up. They're so busy staring into their iPhones that they don't have the need to make eye contact. Certainly they don't have to smile. Or wear make up. Or moisturize. Funny enough, these moms have iPhone 4s. Not the shiny new 5s. Not that it matters, but sometimes i wonder.
But then there's the other set of ladies at the school. The nannies. Not only are these women smiling and chatting, they also seem happy. Happy with themselves. Happy with their packs of female friends. Happy to be picking up the kids, regardless of the weather. Sure, they have cell phones (usually the more expensive type) but they can multitask. They can shoot a picture and still hug the 6 year old as tightly as possible.
And these ladies are young. They're younger than the other mothers. They're younger than I am. Most of them have not yet tormented their bodies with child birth, so their figures remain intact. A lot of these dedicated and hard working ladies have earned enough money to afford name brand jeans, sweaters, Hunter boots and Canada Goose winter coats. Their hair is longer than ours. Most definitely it is straighter than ours. And their smiles. Their smiles warm up the school from December through April.
I'm not really trying to say that these woman are taking over at the school playgrounds. I guess i'm just taking notice. They have time to look after our kids. With grace and pleasure. And still these females have found the time to shower, brush their silky hair, and even change out of their Lululemon pants.
All I'm saying is that if I notice, perhaps others are noticing too? Maybe it's time to step it up moms?
Namaste.
