After reading the New York Post article by Anna Davies I was a little ragey. Maybe it was because I had not drank my coffee yet. But most likely it was because the article started off like this,
“Meghann Foye, 38, was jealous of co-workers clocking out for maternity leave, and decided she needed a break of her own. Here, the author of the novel “Meternity” (Mira, out now), tells The Post’s Anna Davies why she believes every woman deserves mandated “me time.” ”
Umm since when did taking care of kids 24/7 equal a break or me time??
I’m lucky to drink half a cup of hot coffee a day…as in it takes me all day just to try and drink that one cold cup of coffee.
Oh look here is me taking quality me time.
I just spent a quality 30 minutes of me time scrubbing toothpaste off the bathroom floor and trying to get the Pull-up smell out of the girls bathroom.
I could market this!!!
“Come spend quality YOU time at my house. Pretend you are on maternity leave by scrubbing my smelly kids bathroom.
Will provide as much lukewarm coffee as required, and when you need a pee break I will yell your name outside of the bathroom and stick my hand under the door for the full effect.
You will feel refreshed and ready to take on the world”
Wait her quotes get better and better.
“It seemed that parenthood was the only path that provided a modicum of flexibility. There’s something about saying “I need to go pick up my child” as a reason to leave the office on time that has far more gravitas than, say, “My best friend just got ghosted by her OkCupid date and needs a margarita” — but both sides are valid.”
All that flexibility. I mean I travel the world at the drop of a hat with my four kids. I mean it is so easy to just drop everything and jet off to a sunny spot and not have to worry about life.
Heck I can’t even leave the house without changing two diapers, making sure two kids have peed in the toilet, checking that the diaper bag has diapers and spare clothes, that there are snacks and drinks because kids die if they don’t have those apparently. And by the time everyone has coats and shoes on you can smell a dirty diaper, or better yet they tell you that they need to pee half way through the grocery store when your cart is full.
Yes Meghann that’s right picking up your kids from daycare, strapping their germ infested bodies into a car seat, taking them home, making supper, watching your child refuse said supper because they don’t like it, bathing the squirming child, trying to shove pjs onto said child, reading stories, putting child to bed, putting child to bed again, and again…and again. And then getting up with child during the night, and then waking up at 5am to a kid screaming at you because they are hungry and then you get to start your day all over again. That is totally the same as going out for drinks with your sad friend.
Not to mention that if I as a parent decide that today is just not my day and I would prefer to leave child at daycare that’s cool because that’s not abandonment or anything. If you ditch your friend she won’t be taken away from you.
Maternity leave has zero me time. The only thing you rediscover about yourself while on Mat leave is your caveman smell when you have not showered in days. According to Meghann women suck at putting ourselves first. True but when you have kids that doesn’t change because all you are doing is now putting your kids first.
“Bottom line: Women are bad at putting ourselves first. But when you have a child, you learn how to self-advocate to put the needs of your family first. ” Meghann Foye
Fine take a break Meghann. It’s called vacation. But don’t compare it to maternity leave. Changing diapers and keeping another human alive is not the same as finding yourself.