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Home Alone

Home Alone By Helen Lerry This is a closely guarded secret and if by chance anyone should read it, please keep it to yourself. One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a ‘stay-home’ Mom is having the house to yourself, no adult to share it with. This is not to say that a husband is not the most cherished of people, but being alone in a house (or apartment) to do exactly as you please is, well it’s a treat. Most babies and children have some ‘down time’ when they are napping or playing with friends. None of these activities lasts very long and sometimes are absolutely necessary if you are to find time to mop the floor or clean up other messes not of your own making. But, eventually children go to school. Of course you shed a tear on that first day. But, trust me you will quickly get used to the luxury of having a house to yourself. I have heard friends of my Mom’s bemoan the day their husbands retired. “I am not doing lunch,” they will say. “I may have married him for better or for worse but not for lunch.” They are delighted when their husbands take up golf. There is nothing like golf for taking a husband out of the house for 6 hours straight or more…. Until you reach the stage of having the house to yourself you may not understand what it means and, indeed, think me callous and heartless. It is, I think, a reaction to all those years of being on duty night and day and at everyone’s beck and call. Being home alone is a respite from being the arbiter of all disputes, the comforter of all hurts and the shoulder for all troubles. Not, I hasten to add, would any self-respecting Mom ever wish to relinquish this all powerful and all-loving role, but a change of pace is as good as a rest and having the house to yourself is, well, it’s a treat! At first you may wander from room to room, tidying the chaos of family life, but you will, with remarkable resilience, quickly adapt to your new situation. Now is the time for all those hidden aspirations. Write the book you have always dreamed of, take a class, brush up on your computer skills or practice the guitar. Recharge your batteries in any way you see fit, because of course, there is no one around to see. Enjoy, but keep the secret. About the author: Helen Lerry is a retired teacher from England and is married to a widower friend who immigrated to the States. She has two children, and has written for newspapers in England and for childrens' classes. She writes for 'The Villager' newspaper, in The Villages, San Jose, a community of 4000 retirees. Helen can be contacted at helenpat@kepnet.com © 2001 Siliconmom

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