Yahoo or Boo-Hoo?
In honor of the first day of school we have our friend Patti guest posting for us. Patti Ford is a wife, mother, painter, organizing maniac and writer of nonsense. She is a fan of quiet time, wine and more wine. On Monday, August 24th, if you listen closely you may hear her screaming for joy. This doesn’t make her a bad person.
Are you a yahoo mom or a boo-hoo mom? My friend Lisa told me that her daughter’s school uses those terms. They say that at back-to-school time, every mom is either a yahoo mom or a boo-hoo mom. It’s no secret that I fall into the yahoo category. That very first day of pre-school I was a definite boo-hoo-er, but those days are long gone. Nowadays I am a jump up and down, heel clicking, high-fiving, cartwheeling mom. I do however know many moms who are of the boo-hoo variety, and I have to admit something: I cannot relate to you. You are as foreign to me as one of those naked tribal women from New Guinea with the long bracelet giraffe necks and giant coasters in their lips. At this time of the year, I am hungry for the structure of school for my son and the free time for me. Does the fact that I want to go to the grocery store alone and get a break from the constant Pokemon chatter make me a bad mom?
Summer is hot. Summer is long. Summer is hot and long. Sure, the first month or so is great, but by July we’ve seen it all, done it all, and my ears have heard it all. By August, I am drinking a bit too much wine, and I am desperate for some time alone. When you can’t even go to the bathroom without getting barged in on or getting a note slipped under the door, you know it’s time for a break.
My friend Jennifer and I were recently talking about the desire to go on a Mom Vacation. She is a yahoo mom like me, and we are both in desperate need of a mommy break. When we found that all of our trip ideas were too expensive, we came up with a solution: Women’s Prison. Not the kind you see on Cinemax After Dark, where you get shanked in the shower or become someone’s “special girl”. We are talking about The Martha Stewart kind of prison. The one where you get to watch TV, read, take arts and crafts classes, play board games and socialize. It would be like one long slumber party. Women only. Sure your kids can visit, but you will be separated by glass. A few added benefits to this whole prison idea are the fact that you don’t need to worry about makeup, and you get to wear those roomy jumpsuits. Casserole night in the big house? Go crazy! You want extra dessert? Go for it! Those jumpsuits have room to grow! After that vacation, I mean, unfortunate incarceration, we’d both be revitalized and as good as new. My willingness to go to prison for a kid break, should let you know just how much of a yahoo mom I really am.
Maybe yahoo and boo-hoo are hereditary. I am fairly sure that my mom was a yahoo-er as well. What makes me think so? Hmmmm…..maybe it’s the fact that from the first day of summer until the last, we were pushed out the front door immediately after breakfast and not allowed back in until dinner. On extremely hot days when my sister and I were starting to hallucinate, getting nearer and nearer to severe heat stroke or death, we would try to quietly sneak back into the house. Unfortunately, my mom had the same bionic ear as my idol Jaime Sommers, so we never made it past the screen door, even after using half a can of Crisco on the hinges. We also slept in a tent in the backyard quite a bit in the summer. At the time I thought my mom was being cool, but now I realize that she had simply found a way to keep us out of the house at night as well.
As kids, of course, we all loved the summer and hated school. As a matter of fact, the first time I skipped school I was only in the 6th grade. I told my parents goodbye and went to the bus stop, then dove into a bush when I saw the bus coming. My friend and I made our way back to my house by diving into a series of shrubs, rolling and crawling around like elite navy seals on a top secret mission. We snuck into my basement and hid there all day, surviving off of a freezer full of popsicles. We repeated the entire sequence in reverse at 3 o’clock, and then walked in through the front door proclaiming our exhaustion after a long day at school. That was the beginning of a long string of school skipping that only increased in excitement and creativity, and would last until high school graduation.
So, my son dreads his return to school and I crave it. Is that so wrong? There must be more of my kind out there. If everyone else is a boo-hoo mom, then my faith in womankind will be shaken to its core. I know that some of you are probably secret yahoo moms, but due to the fear of being branded a “bad mom” you are pretending to be a boo-hoo-er. I say drop the charade and be proud of your yahoo status. Next week let’s party like it’s 1999! And next summer, about mid-July, when we are all fed up with the noise and the word for word re-enactments of every iCarly episode ever made, let’s get together and commit a crime. Maybe a drunk and disorderly group situation is all we need to get a vacation in the Martha Stewart “Hotel”. I’ll supply the wine, and my fair share of the “disorderly”. Bring a friend…the more the merrier. Yahoo Mom’s unite!
So Lazy Moms, are you a Yahoo mom or a Boo-Hoo mom? LML and LMA are both Yahoo moms. Without a doubt Yahoo moms! In fact, as I write this, in my head I am picking out the color of polish I want on my toes tomorrow! On Tuesday we have lunch plans. The days of freedom are stretching out before us! Of course, come May we will be ready for school to end and summer to begin. But for now…YAHOO!
Ok Patti, you crack me up! I think you can guess which one I am..my husband was commenting this weekend how excited I seemed getting everyones stuff ready for school today. Sorry Ethan is sick. Tommy will miss him today. Hang in there..maybe tomorrow will be a school day
Nicole
Must be in the genes Patti, I am a yahoo mom also and not afraid to tell people. Just a month ago some moms were standing around talking how they just were not ready for school to start blah blah blah…I spoke up, I AM!! Tomorrow 8:45am my house is mine until 3:30pm, I won’t need to watch anyone jump rope, watch iCarly, fix hot dogs for lunch or get a sitter to go someone for the afternoon!! Heck I can clean the house and it will be clean for more than 5 minutes, never thought I’d be excited about that one
I think I’m an in between mom. I thought I was ready for Luke to go to school, but on Sunday night I was balling like a baby, of course while I was in bed, by the way I didn’t do that with the other kids (weird)!?! I was just thinking to myself, what the heck am I going to do?! Here it is Monday and after dropping them off I still feel a little out of place by myself. I am sure that the feeling will wear off and then I’ll strictly be a yahoo mom. Well I am sorry to hear that Ethan isn’t feeling well and for you too. I know you really enjoy the alone time!!
Author’s Note: You will not hear my screams of joy this morning. This Yahoo mom is stuck at home with a sick child. How ironic is that??
Yes, mom jail, Can’t wait-but can my jumpsuit come in Mango? I have another week of interruptions with my pre-schooler before I can truly YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Great Blog Patti. You are the funniest!
YAHOO!!!!!!!!!!
Is that enough?
Oh, I laughed through the whole article!!!! Thanks for the great laugh and smile, and YES, I am a yahoo mom through and through! I thrive on my alone time and was counting down until school started…now that my husband got laid off a few weeks ago, HE is home now! Yikes…I am craving my alone time once again and hoping he gets a job soon so I can relax! hee hee So sorry to read Patti’s son is sick…hope he gets well soon…and remember, this too shall pass! Thanks again for a great essay! I loved it!
Great blog, Patti.
It reminded me of when my daughter was about 6 months old, and I was in the checkout line at the grocery. The woman in front of me was yahooing about school starting. Well, I was still in babylove and couldn’t imagine being separated from my precious darling. I was thinking really bad thoughts about that woman!
Well, five years later, my tune had changed and as I enjoyed my days of freedom, I mentally apologized for my evil thoughts about that woman’s fitness for motherhood.
I still love being with my darling daughter who’s now grown and married, but I love not being responsible for her anymore. Life is good at all the stages and we can embrace and enjoy each phase.
Hugs to you young mothers.
Total YAHOO! mom here!! Unfortunately, my high school senior son has last period off, so he comes home an hour early. Definitely cuts into my me time!
When my oldest went off to school on the bus for the first time ever, I followed the bus to school, parked in the teacher lot near the buses and much like you and your navy-seal action, made my way to just inside the school doors to make sure she walked down the right hallway to get to class. Naturally my G/T daughter, though only in 1st grade, took a map of the school with her and had carefully plotted her course. All was well. Then I went in my car and cried. Now she’s in 7th grade and I have two more to add to the mix. I don’t boo-hoo any more. I rejoice that they get to go to school so I don’t get calls at work saying how bored they are at home.
On another note, our elementary has a Boo-Hoo Breakfast (that’s what they call it) for parents on the first day of school each morning…..I’m proud to say I’ve never been!
If I had to stay home with my son all day everyday during the summer I would be screaming Yahoo! at the top of my lungs. So I guess you could say I’m a Yahoo mom. Give those Boo-Hoo moms some tissues and tell them to suck it up!
I am proud to be a yahoo mum. I like having my kids home during the holidays because I get to sleep later and don’t have to wash uniforms all the time or get them into bed on time. But it wears thin real quick. Then I can’t wait for school to start. There’s nothing wrong with wanting some me time. It makes me a better mum because I’m not frustrated and worn out and the kids need a break from me too!
Leave your response!
Meet the Lazy Moms
cforms contact form by delicious:days
Subscribe & Share
Link to Us
Advertise
Recent Posts
Categories
Archives
Stuff We Talk About
Advertise
Polls
Lazy Moms Store
Twitter
Designed By
Copyright © 2009 - Lazy Moms, Amanda Herrold and Leslie Schulze. The content of this Website (including without limitation all text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, all submissions and audio clips) is the exclusive property of Lazy-Moms.com, Amanda Herrold and Leslie Schulze and cannot be reproduced without permission.