Frailty, Thy Name is Hats!

Why is it that my son refuses to let me take a shower during the day? At first, when he was younger, I thought it was his age. Maybe the whole "separation anxiety" phase or what not. So, I stayed diligent and kept trying, bringing in toys, books, playing music, the whole nine yards, just so Mama could get clean and not have anymore playdough underneath her fingernails from two days ago.

Nothing worked.

My son cried and carried on, his screams at mezzo soprano level, reaching all the way to my husband's office upstairs, where Daddy was undoubitibly on a conference call to New York. I realized that I had to make a decision-- shower and let him scream, shower at night, shower during naps when I could be writing, or shower when my husband finished with work, usually around 4pm.

I decided to shower, well, whenever I could! This has led to extremely bad hair days and a propensity to throw on a hat no matter what the outfit, whether I get to take a shower or not, since even if I do get to in the morning or afternoon, I rarely ever have time to blow-dry my hair.

I have never been a fashionista or a DEVIL WEARS PRADA type of gal, but at least I used to match my hats a little better pre-baby! (Hats have always been a passion of mine. They are to me what shoes are to others.) Now, in the madness of trying to get washed, dried, dressed, and out the door for one reason or another, it isn't surprising if I wear a knitted Reggae-style beret with a plaid skirt!

To get through the horror of my endless bad hair and hat days, I've decided to just think of myself as an artsy writer/mama with barely enough time to write two pages a day let alone worry about her looks. I'm sure this leads to strange stares from mothers who are a little more (okay, A LOT more) together than me whenever I pick up my son from the play group he attends three times a week so can write across the street at Peets Coffee. But if the time I saved taking a shower at night, throwing on a hat in the morning, and rushing out the door with my washed, fed, and clothed toddler helped me to write two pages of my novel that day, then the "hat head" was well worth it.

Mama Scribe has to keep her priorities straight!