Mommy Goes Missing

There are many days when I don't get around to taking a shower until late in the day, sometimes even after the kids go to bed. During the summer, there really isn't a point since it's hot out and I just end up sweating anyway. There are times we go to our neighbor's pool as well, and I don't want to be taking more than one shower a day, because that would just be wasting water. And who doesn't like wasting? Lana? "The earth."

Right. So. One day last week it was late in the afternoon and I decided to jump in the shower before getting the girls' dinner. I put something on for them to watch, because I don't want them trying to kill each other when I can't intervene. Unfortunately, the television is the best solution for that. After I turned on their show and they all became glassy eyed, I informed them, that mommy was going to take a shower and if they needed something that's where they could find me. They all just sorta nodded their eyes never leaving the TV. Hey, at least I knew they wouldn't fight.

I headed back to my bathroom to get myself clean when I realized I needed to make a potty pit stop first. Now, the light in our "toilet closet" is attached to a fan. When you turn on the light the fan automatically goes on and if the door is closed, you can hear NOTHING outside that little room. I closed the door for some peace, flipped on the switch and grabbed my latest book. About three minutes later I thought I could hear something going on down the hall. Great-TV didn't stop the fighting. I turned off the light and opened the door to find out what was going on. From the living room I could hear what sounded like all three girls crying, or more accurately wailing.

"MOOOOOMMMMMYYYY!!!!" Sob, sob, sob.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" I yelled from the bathroom.

Suddenly the crying stopped and Sonya said,

"MOM?!?"

"Yeah! What is going on, Sonya?!" I said again.

"Oh..... We didn't know where you were," she told me.

"WHAT? I told you I was going to take a shower, but I had to go to the bathroom first. I'm in my bathroom," I reminded her.

"Oh. Ok," she replied calmly.

"Are you ALL crying?" I asked.

"No," she said. "Just me and Lana. GG wasn't crying."

Let's review. I told them where I was going. Perhaps it was my fault for doing so AFTER I turned on the TV, but still. Then at some point they realized I wasn't around, called for me, but when I didn't respond instead of getting up and looking around, they just decided I was "gone", so they cried about it. I guess it was a pretty good episode of Yo Gabba Gabba. I'm sure they would have searched for me after it ended. And Georgia? Well, either she heard me when I said where I was going, or she just didn't care as much.

You know those stories you hear about with the little kids who call 911 because their mom fell, or had a heart attack and won't wake up? And they end up saving their mom because they found her and called 911? Yeah, I'm pretty sure we won't ever be one of those stories.