Another first this morning…. attended my first MOPS meeting. That’s “Moms of PreSchoolers,” for those of you (like me) who had/have no idea what the heck that means. Chock-full of super-mommies — friendly & organized & skinny, with a generous dose of godly thrown in for good measure. Does the phrase “fish out of water” ring any bells? Right here… (waves fin)… I’m the fish. Despite Rose & all her trappings, I felt like a straight-up impostor.
How did I end up at a MOPS meeting, you ask? Brother-in-law Tom invited me… apparently they have a different speaker every month, & this month, they decided to have a “Man Panel,” or as Tom called it, a “Manel.” Basically, there were 4 guys seated across the front & they answered whatever questions the MOPS hurled at them. Tom invited Jennifer & me to provide a support system as he went swimming in the shark tank (his wording).
After getting Rose checked into her little nursery room, Jennifer & I pinned our cute little nametags onto our cute little sweaters & wandered into the main room, where breakfast casserole & coffee did much to alleviate my anxiety. Once I found a seat, things got much more comfortable. I just don’t do that well with being the new kid… it involves meeting new people & people aren’t really my favorite things, so yeah. Having Jennifer there helped — like making your friend accompany you to a new exercise class so at least when you look stupid because you don’t know what the hell you’re doing & you go right when everybody else is going left & you’re seeing black spots & no one else is even breathing hard, you can acknowledge it to someone.
Anyway. The Manel was entertaining & somewhat informative, although I think Bobby could have jazzed things up a bit with his lovely (yet annoying) habit of playing devil’s advocate. Was a bit religion-heavy for my taste, but that’s pretty much the case at just about any social gathering here in the buckle of the Bible Belt. You live in the South, you get a regular dose of God-stuff whether you want it or not. I’m not anti-God (which would come as a shock to some of my family), but I don’t think that the assumption should be made that everyone is a member of the good ol’ Southern Baptist club. Tangent. Sorry.
Afterward, Jen, Tom & I headed off to lunch with offspring in tow. I beat them to the restaurant, walked up to the front door & stood there waiting for at least a solid 5 minutes. They pulled in, & as I watched Jen & Tom unload Mag & Sadie, I was hit by the sudden realization that, um, I ALSO had a child & I HAD NOT unloaded her. I had left Rose in the car. Yes, I did. I completely forgot her. I left a MOPS meeting & promptly left my child in the car. Yeah. It’s not that she was there that long, or that it was too hot, or any of that child-neglect-type crap… it was just that I honestly forgot her. You know that dream where you walk into class & realize you forgot a test? Or you walk into the bank & realize you’re naked? It was that feeling, except in real life.
Pretty sure I might be one of the most awesome mothers I know. ::Snort. Eye roll::
the misfit said:
That is really, really funny. Of course, I’m glad it wasn’t in any dangerous circumstances, but I’m sure she’s suffered no adverse consequences. And now I’m thinking of all the places we were left behind as kids…funny thing.
I usually think it’s nice when people in a mixed group acknowledge the mixed-ness. “Well, since we’re talking religion, here’s how my church handles that…interested to hear how others do.” “As the other Xers will tell you, we typically Y. But I’m not sure how that will work for the rest of you…” “Speaking for myself personally, it seems that this issue can be resolved easily if…”
But regardless of the dominant paradigm wherever you are, most of its adherents always manage to make it the ram-it-down-your-throat paradigm with a few artless turns of phrase. Perhaps the sensitivity statements are a tic for those of us who spent too much time in class, but I think they just make things so much more civilized.
Ahem, blogosphere…I’m looking at YOU.
Whitney said:
I NEVER went to MOPS. Ever. Mainly b/c of the new people & not wanting to be around super chirpy mommies who have problems but refuse to acknowledge them. :)
Anyhoo…
Brady got out of our house last week. Like, waaaay down the street & some person found him crawling under a neighbors truck. Yup. So, I WILL be fighting you for Mother of the Year. :) Needless to say, we now have those locks like hotels have. Not the ghetto chain locks, but the flip kind. The difference is important probably only to me…