So I was in the Peace Corps - the "toughest job you'll ever love." Next to parenting, that is. It occurred to me this week, staying home with my son who has a mysterious fever-causing illness, how similar my life is to when I was in the Peace Corps. Here's how:
- Children, often partially naked and hungry, are watching my every move making me feel like a big fish in a little glass bowl.
- When driving distances , I often find myself eyeing good spots for places to pee by the side of the road. (But for the kids - not for myself, so that's a small difference.)
- I never feel fully clean... except for the two minutes during or right after a shower, and then the feeling quickly dissipates.
- There is an ongoing theme of illness - some diagnosed, some mysterious, often causing fevers and diarrhea and vomiting.
- I get to learn several new languages! The language of parenting, some sign language (of the baby variety), and each of my children's' unique words for things that until recently only I could understand. It's not French and Kabiye, but it's close!
- Sometimes I feel like I'm forging through the parenting landscape with nothing but a bicycle and a book. Before I had "Where there is no doctor" but now I have "Where there is no super nanny" and at least one partner who's got my back!
- You can never have enough batteries, duct tape and stuff to wash your hands.
- Gift giving has climbed the ladder to a more important place in my life. Birthday parties galore. Rewards for job well done. I'm not used to this.
- It feels like constant problem solving. "How am I going to get my gas canister to town when the market isn't until Wednesday and there's no way to find a taxi?" is very similar to "How am I going to navigate around Target if I need a huge bag of dog food and the baby demands that I carry him on my shoulders?"
- I learned that the feelings of wanting to run away or hide, and shower everybody in sight with love and affection are not as far apart as you might think.
I am now fully convinced the guy who crafted the Peace Corps slogan was also a parent and thus the similarities. Now I must go tend to my naked 2-year-old asking for food.
So I was in the Peace Corps - the "toughest job you'll ever love." Next to parenting, that is. It occurred to me this week, staying home with my son who has a mysterious fever-causing illness, how similar my life is to when I was in the Peace Corps. Here's how:
