typealice

08 Apr, 2009

Upcoming Birthday

Posted by: typealice In: Gillian

I really, really hate my birthday. I don’t remember a time that I actually enjoyed having a birthday. It tends to fall on Easter weekend (as it does this year) and when I was a kid if I was having a birthday party most people would tell me that they couldn’t come because they were going to be visiting their grandmother and couldn’t come. Or, the dirt road I lived on (2.5km back) would be so muddy that people couldn’t even drive to my house. I eventually stopped having birthday parties.

Getting older they mostly just made me uncomfortable. I just don’t enjoy the fuss. I know I should suck up the attention and the gifts and the cake, but I just can’t help but feel awkward about it all.

I have no plans for this Sunday, other than a sushi lunch and to sleep in. I’d like to spend some time with my family and away from my family and that’s about it.

***

Work is going well, outside of the sore feet. The woman that Ash has been staying with for this week looks totally BEAT DOWN at the end of the day, and I don’t think it’s Ash that’s wearing her out, but rather the fact that her daughter is 1. sick with a cold 2. the grabbiest kid I’ve ever met and tries to steal everything out of Ash’s hands that she can, whether she actually wants it or not. I wish I could afford to give her more money because it can be such hard work to take on two kids, but I can’t… I’m pretty much paying “top dollar” as it is.

I don’t miss Ash nearly as much as I thought I would, though today was the hardest day so far, and I’m actually enjoying having time by myself and even though he comes up in conversation with nearly every customer at the store (relating products back to my own experience), it doesn’t pull on my heartstrings as I anticipated.

It’s also nice to walk down the street and not just be a mom, but rather a real woman again.

***

Lately I’ve been taking a couple of hours a week to myself while Clive takes care of Ash and may I just say that it’s been a wonderful, wonderful thing to do for myself and I have no idea why it took me so long. A couple of weeks ago I went to a really nice park and walked around, sometimes I hang out with one of our single friends and talk about things other than baaaabies and it’s been great for the soul. It’s so hard to get out of mama mode when I’m stuck in the house all day long, or even if we’re out and Ash is with me. I feel like a PERSON again and its wonderful.

8 Responses to "Upcoming Birthday"

1 | Jamie

April 8th, 2009 at 7:17 pm

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When is your bday..my oldest is the 18th and every now and then we have the Easter delima. But I can TOTALY relate on walking down the street as something other than a mom. That is one of the things I really miss about my job. It gave me more of an identity from MOM I was a PERSON too. I miss that.

2 | typealice

April 8th, 2009 at 7:20 pm

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It’s on the 12th.

3 | corrie

April 9th, 2009 at 5:03 am

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mine is the 16th and i never remember it being an issue……huh.
i have always believed it is so important to have some time to be something other then mom, it always seems to be this epiphany we each have at some point thank goodness

4 | Lisa

April 9th, 2009 at 7:18 am

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Happy Birthday to someone who shares the same birthday as me!
It’s kind of crap that this year our birthday is on EASTER SUNDAY. I never liked having parties either because no one could ever attend. It’s hard when you celebrate everyone else’s birthday with them but they can’t celebrate with you because it’s easter.

5 | Charley

April 9th, 2009 at 5:19 pm

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I know so many people born on the 12th of April, it’s a good day but I share your hatred of birthdays. I’m always grumpy. Hope you have a lovely one anyway!

6 | typealice

April 9th, 2009 at 6:14 pm

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corrie: i have no idea why it hasn’t occured to me sooner. i feel so stupid!

thanks for the happy birthdays, everyone else!

7 | Jill B

April 11th, 2009 at 8:32 am

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I’m an Easter birthday sometimes too. Mine is March 30. Ivy was actually born on Easter – April 8. We are having her party today actually.

Hope you have a nice day tomorrow.

8 | Erica

April 11th, 2009 at 11:21 am

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Gillian, have you ever heard of Continuum Concept? It’s a paradigm similar to attachment parenting, and it draws on most of the same principles as far as the “baby B’s”. The biggest difference I see is that it actively encourages parents to have their own lives, allowing the child to be in an “observer”. Here’s an article from mothering magazine: http://www.continuum-concept.org/reading/whosInControl.html

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About

I'm Gillian, a world-traveller turned natural parent. I believe in primal parenting; breastfeeding, baby wearing, cosleeping, cloth diapering, elimination communication, vegetarianism and all things natural. I have very strong parenting views. There's nothing better in my life than my days with my kid. Also: sushi and sweet white wine, skinny jeans and black tshirts, torrents and sugar.

My sustainable accessories company Pip Robins keeps me busy in the evenings.