Eight. But who’s counting? Every child in this county, that’s who. The frenzy is building in the hallways, cafeterias and of course, at the bus stop. I saw a veteran teacher in the elementary school hall the other day. She had a glazed look on her face. As I passed by she grabbed me by the sleeve and hissed, “Help Me! The natives are getting restless!”
Mornings at our bus stop have taken on a whole new tone too. There is renewed energy…the kids are jumpy and smiley and on time. The moms have a look similar to that teacher. Or better yet, someone trying to figure out how they’re going to finance their own root canal with three kids in braces at the same time.
Oh, sure, there are a couple of moms up at the corner still smiling this time of year. They already have two months worth of confirmed camps, swim lessons and play-dates set up for their kids. My friend Amy is one smart woman. She has, for the second summer in a row, arranged for all three of her kids to be at the same camp during the same week; at which time she and her husband will run away on vacation.
For some reason I always think of these things too late. I mean, how am I supposed to be expected to think about registering my kid for a summer horse camp in February — when it’s snowing outside? Unforunately for me, it seems this is when you need to sign up your kids for the really hot camps. Oh well, my kids will have to settle for the warm ones.
Camps or not, the Bus Stop Mommies have started looking at each other with that unspoken, yet heard-loud-and-clear cry: “Ohmygawd what are we going to do with these kids all summer? And will we survive if we don’t see each other every weekday morning and afternoon?” We better institute a weekly “Bus Stop Mommy Day at the Corner.” Otherwise, we’ll all languish in a huge black hole, void of the latest news, borrowed book, diet progress, animal stories, maternal advice, and moral support.
And what about the Bus Stop Pets? I mean, let’s just give ol’ Hank another excuse to run away, shall we? I can hear him now as we drag him home with his tail between his legs, “Well, uh, you don’t take me up to the corner twice a day on the leash any more, uh duh, and I missed Chelsea, Ginger, and Midnight the puppy, uh duh, I’m so desperate I even missed Blondie the cat. I’d report you to the SPCA if I could dial the phone, but I can’t so I went off to find my friends on my own, uh duh.”
Only eight more days, right? Hail Mary, full of grace…
Karen Rinehart is a magazine humor columnist, public speaker and the creator of The Bus Stop Mommies, a newspaper. She is also author of Invisible Underwear, Bus Stop Mommies and Other Things True To Life. You can read more of her work at karenrinehart.net. Karen lives in Concord, North Carolina with her two kids, one husband and goofball dog, where they attend St. James Catholic Church. (Well, they leave the dog at home.) She enjoys hearing from readers across the States and as far away as Australia, Japan and England.
