Pull up a chair while I tell you what happened to me today. This is crazy!


I woke my three kids aged, 14, 10, and 9 up for school this morning, ran around trying to find lost shoes, homework, missing socks, and my autistic son's headless Spiderman toy he carries with him everywhere, while trying to also make breakfast. I kiss my husband goodbye as he heads off to work and I drop the kids off at different schools, making sure Rick, the youngest, actually went in the building, instead of deciding not to go, in a random fit of rage.

I went home, started a load of laundry from 6 people, that never seems to diminish much. How many times must a 14-year-old girl change her clothes a day?? I just loaded the washer and began sorting Rick's clothes, (he will only wear certain things, and some of them can't touch each other in the drawer or closet), when my cell phone rings. Great, its the school, Rick is in trouble again and has fled the building.

I look for him, and see two squad cars, also circling the neighborhood. One waves to me...yup, he's looking for my son also; this is becoming a weekly thing. I find him sitting in a storm drain bnging his head. I ask what happened. He says his teacher is an incompetant moron, who shouldn't be teaching him because he knows more than her. He ranted that she didn't even know what a phidipidous (sp?) spider ( a jumping spider) was. Apparently, she gave him an assignment he had done last week, which he felt insulted his intelligence, so he called her "obtuse" and she sent him to the office.

My son has Asperger's syndrome. He is a "high-functioning" autistic. VERY intelligent and light years ahead in his speech, however, his emotional coping skills are more on the level of a 3 yr. old.
I walked him back into the office, and the counselor tried to talk to him and said, "Rick, we worry about you, why would you take off?" To which he replied, "I didn't take off you imbecile, can't you see my clothes are still on?" She took his hand, meaning to lead him to her office for a private talk. Uh-oh. When he's pissed...don't touch him. She forgot. He punched her, bit her, and then threw a chair across the room and ran again. I caught him just outside the building, calmed him down and led him back. After another hour, I finally got to leave and go finish my laundry. I managed two loads this time and had started cleaning the bathroom when my phone rang again. School again. This time it was my daughter's teacher. My middle girl, Nikki got into a fight at lunch because someone called her brother retarded. Ok, I go BACK to the school and deal with it. Rick sees me ans spazzes out, wants to go home. My being there was a break in his routine, you see. Another 15 minutes to calm him down and avoid another episode, and I can leave.

I race home to finish cleaning, running errands before the kids get home. Great, the washer decided to become a sud-spewing monster. I clean it up, run to the store for a replacement hose, I also run and pay a few bills before I forget. After 3 more hours of frantically racing around cleaning, running errands, getting the oil changed and tires rotated on the car, and starting supper, the kids come home. Then its 5 more hours of breaking up fights, sometimes voilent ones involving fists and feet, helping with homework, making dinner, (being sure Rick's food doesn't touch on the plate), making sure showers are taken and teeth get brushed. My husband is home, but tired from his 8 hours at the office, and needs to do some paperwork. Why oh WHY can't I have a normal 9-5 job??

I look for warad to a hot bath and my nightly hour or so of peace as I finally tuck the kids into bed. I hug my eldest goodnight, and she says, "Um, I forgot my sceince project. It's due tomorrow... you gotta help me, or I'll fai!" and the water works start. Nikki, my little brawler adds, "Opps, I forgot to tell you, I need 20.00 for tomorrow. I lost my library books and we got that field trip." Grrr. I tell her I have to go to the ATM and get it. Why the hell didn't she tell me earlier?? I wonder and rant to myself. I tell Dee to get started on her project and rant abot her waiting until the last minute as I pull on my jacket. I go to kiss my son goodnight, and he isn't in bed. What the hell now?? I ask the girls where he is. One shrugs, the other ignores me. Finally, I get Dee to stop screaming and overdramatizing about her damned project and she tells me that Rick didn't want to take a shower, got mad and ran out while I was washing the dinner dishes. WHAT THE HELL?? That was an hour ago!

I fly out the door, calling him and loking in his usual hiding spaces. No luck. I call the police epartment, which I have on speedail. Thank god it's a small town and EVERYONE knows my son. Too bad is isn't necessarily for GOOD reasons. An officer promises to look for him and 20 minutes later, I get a call; he found Rick in Walmart. I said, "What the hell is he doing there?" To which the helpful officer horrifies me by saying, "I got a call about a pissed off shop-lifter. It was a Spiderman. He wanted it and just walked out, didn't even try to hide it. When the door greeter asked him about it, Rick said he wanted it, so just charge it to his mom."

Good god, what next?? I go get my delinquent son, and thank the officer. I stop on the way home at a gastation and while paying for gas and a bag of chips, the guy sitting on a stool behind the counter looks over my disheveled hair, dark circles under my eyes, bitten-off nails, and says, "Lord honey, you look like hell. Long day at work?" I replied to his rudeness with, "Something like that." He asks where I work. I tell him, I'm a full-time mom, so at home.

That's when IT happened. He smirks, and says, "God, I wish I could stay at home all day watching tv and eating chips, instead of sitting here all day waiting on ignorant fools. Be happy you don't have to work a REAL job."

I snapped. I thought over my day and reached over the counter, grabbed him by his shirt, and smashed his face into the counter.
Ok, so I didn't, but it was a nice fantasy.
Instead, I said, "Yeah, its great. What a fantasy life I live."
He says, "yeah, no shit. I want your life."

I said, "OK, you stupid fucking, clueless piece of dog shit! I'll trade with you, I'll sit here for 5 hours and ring up gas, while YOU go take care of three kids, one whom borderes on serious delinqency, make all the food at my house, do the laundry, clean up after 6 people, deal with cops and teachers calling, fix my fucking washer, AND keep my car tuned up, run all over town doing errands that no one ELSE seems to ever have the time for, make sure everyone has what they needfor school and get showers, break up body fistfights! And while you do it all...don't you DARE complain, or look put out, because being a mother, maid, chef, chauffer, bouncer, referee, butler, plumber is EASY right??? Because at the end of the fucking day, your husband and kids want their hug and kiss from calm, laid-back MOMMY who does nothing all day, no matter how hectic she THINKS her day was. You get paid what, six bucks an hour to sit here and WORK so fucking hard???? Fine, I'll trade you! I'll take the raise in pay, since *I* don't get a DIME for what I do, and do your 'real work,' you fucking imbecile! And by the way did you even THINK to thank your wife or mother or whoever washed and pressed that uniform for you?"

I stormed out the door leaving him dumbfounded and starting after the crazy lady who doesn't work for a living. My son looked at me as I shoved the car into gear and said, "Wow mom, you really gave it to that guy. I think you need anger management."

Where the HELL do these idiots come from that believe stay-at-home moms don't WORK? Do they REALLY think that maybe some of us CAN'T work because of the demands at home, but would like to?? Like having an autistic son that means I need to be able to drop everything and run when the phone rings. Like the fact that if MOM doesn't cook or clean...it doesn't get done until its a pigsty and people are hungry? Or maybe they WILL cook, and leave 3 times the mess behind. We also have to juggle Scout and sport meetings, dr. appointments, teacher conferences, and whetever ELSE pops up.

Oh yeah...did I mention that I ALSO have Multiple Sclerosis, so doing much of this is more difficult and draining on me than to healthier mothers? I am not even ALLOWED to work most typical jobs because of my health and the strains of standing too long, sitting too long, heavy lifting. Not to mention that at times I slur my words, forget what I'm doing or where I'm driving, can't speak normal sentences because the wods seem to drip through a funnel, sometimes backwords, or that sometimes I cant use my arm. Or my legs have no feeling and I can't walk for days at a time.

Oh yes, I fucking WORK! And you ungrateful men (and childless women) need to take notice of the women in your lives who take care of you and your house so that you CAN go out and work a "normal" job. Many of us work twice as hard..for NO paycheck, NO job recognition, NO 401K plans.

I'm sick of it! Damn, the government talks about higher minimum wages needed to repair the economy and get people buying things again, fixing unemployment, etc. Then PAY us moms who stay home and make sure our kids arent out running with gangs and selling drugs! MAybe if MOMS got recognition and pay for our jobs...more women (or stay at home dads) could afford to be home with thier kids, teaching them things, and keeping them out of trouble, thus opening up MORE JOBS in the so called "work force" for those who are able and willing to work, but can't find jobs!

Theres's my rant. I tend to write stories even when I'm pissed, so it's more of a story rant I guess.