Ginger Rogers Moms
Do you remember the quip about Ginger Rogers doing everything Fred Astaire did, but backward and in high heels? It struck me differently one day. As a mom with Lyme Disease, I realized that I appear to keep up with the dance of being an active mom, but in reality, I manage with a significant handicap. I have less time than most moms, as I go to bed early, get up late, and also nap during the day. I have a ten-year headache that slows me down mentally and physically. I have painful joints.
I spent four and a half hours last Friday trying to make myself feel better so I could go on a boat with some friends. I napped, took a yoga class, napped again, then did some things my doctor advises would help me feel better. I hired a sitter to take care of my kids after school so I could complete these things. Then, I showed up for the boat trip and I was lively and "on." No one had any idea it had taken me that long to appear so peppy.
There are other Ginger Rogers moms out there, doing what other moms do with their own handicaps from invisible illnesses. My friend Kim who co-founded SpiroChicks - a blog about life with Lyme - is one of those moms, too. As is my friend Sarah, who has her own set of severe pain issues.
Sometimes I feel like we are the lucky ones who, with lots of help, can actually take care of our own kids and work from home (by necessity). I have another mom friend, a bright light who is confined to her bed most of the day. She can't care for her child anymore. My heart breaks for her.
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