Slack Mum

In a former life, I worked as a Nanny. I really enjoyed this job but was ready to move on by the end - looking after someone else's child isn't always rosy! My "charge" if you will was the six year old daughter of a very successful single Mum. I feel SO ashamed to admit this now but I quite often thought this lovely Mum could be a bit slack at times. She was an awesome Mum but working full time meant she didn't really have her finger on the pulse when it came to school life - parents reading time, canteen, mufty days etc.

Since having my own child I have realised two things;

1) Never, ever judge a single Mum, ever, and;

2) Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

YES, that's right, I am a slack Mum. You know, the type who always has rotten food in the bottom of the nappy bag. The type who can't guarantee the water in her daughter's bottle isn't, like, three weeks old. The type who FORGETS major events in their child's life.

Today, I forgot that it was Crazy Hair Day at daycare. I rocked up to find a woman I've never met before with long, teased hair in two Pippy Longstockinngs style ponytails at the sides of her head. Well, here's a character, I thought. Good for her.

As I rounded the corner and caught a glimpse of H's favourite carer sporting a similar 'do, realisation dawned. It's Wednesday. Wednesday 29th May. I have received SEVERAL communications in the past week informing me that Wednesday 29th May is indeed Crazy Hair Day. Fuck.

Nothing in my life to this date could have prepared me for the guilt and sorrow I would feel as three toddlers entered the room behind us with a blue mohawk, numerous braids and an abundance of curled ribbons respectively. When H is the only girl not invited to Stella's 8th Birthday party, I may need to be placed on suicide watch.

Anyway, I never pictured myself being 'that' mother. I really thought I'd be, you know, the canteen Mum, the volunteer Mum, the Mother's Day Stall organising Mum. I think we all want to be theperfect mother who always has a fresh slice baking in the oven and perfect, blow dried hair. You know, before we have kids and discover we are lucky to get out of the house in a clean outfit.

I have a new ambition. Since it seems inevitable that I will be the mother who loses permission slips, has live organisms living in her car and runs out of hairbands on a weekly basis, I'm going to be the fun Mum. You know, the one who doesn't give a shit about food in the car because she's too busy singing along to Taylor Swift with her daughter and all her friends. The Mum who lets the kids take drinks upstairs. The Mum who doesn't always need hairbands, because life's too short to worry about messy hair and who knows, it just might be crazy hair day.

Z x