The highs and lows of being a parent

I thought once I was done with two of my three jobs things would slow down. I thought once I was finally into a full-time position life would slow down and our schedule would mellow out a bit. How wrong I was.

My current work schedule is Sundays 6 a.m. – 2 p.m. & Mondays through Thursdays 3 a.m. – 11 a.m. The times are nice becuase I can get off work in time to pick Bailey up for school at 1:30 p.m. and have some one-on-one time with her when/if Mason naps in the afternoon. But along with Bailey being in school comes things like volunteering to help run fund-raisers (oh yeah, those readers who are ‘fortunate’ enough to actually know me in real life, you’ll soon have an over-priced packet passed in front of you…), to PTA meetings, to soccer (Yes, I really am a soccer dad now), and so on, things have been even busier than ever. My parents weren’t that involved in my schooling looking back. No PTA meetings, rarely a back to school night, and we didn’t go to many school functions/festivals so with Bailey, I really want to be an active part of her education. I see it this way, by being an active part in her education she’ll know I care about her future and it’s an investment in her. The more I put in, the more I’m hoping she’ll come away with.

Add to all that a very sick mother-in-law that requires some of us scrambling around to get Hepetitus A vaccinations ASAP.

Mason has been having problems gaining weight and so, as of yesterday, we found that the restults of his second round of blood work found that he has “an abnormal string” in the blood which could possibly mean he has Cystic Fibrosis. We have to schedule an appointment with UCSF for a sweat test which will tell us definitively if little Mason really does have Cystic Fibrosis. For my own sanity, I can’t even begin to think about it. Keli is having a very hard time with this possibility, plus with her mother being sick, I don’t want to really dwell on how I feel about the whole Cystic Fibrosis thing as it will just upset her more. It’s quite possible that Mason’s sweat test will come back negative, but it’s still a sobering prospect and a real possibility. We have to be careful what we say around Bailey, too, as she gets upset very easily when she knows people she loves are sick.

Part of being a parent is knowing when to let yourself come to grips with your emotions and knowing when to spot that you are left, many times against your will, needing to be the rock your family leans on. Keli and I balance each other out very well in that manner. I tend to stay calm – on the outside – when it comes to injuries (broken arms, badly scraped knees, doctor’s tests, etc). When I’m simply not able to handle a situation and keep my composure (like when Bailey was being prepped for her adenoid surgery) that’s when Keli rises to the occasion and picks up where I cannot. The mere thought of something happening to your child is like being on the receiving end of mental sucker punch.

Please think happy thoughts for Mason. If you pray, please pray. If you meditate, please do so. If you sacrifice small furry creatures… spare the little fuzzball and think happy thoughts.