Growing down for a day

“You do know Muma is just a girl who grew up”
Imparting these words to Darcie has been somewhat of an eye opener for her.
“No you aren’t”, came her reply. Visibly shocked, face all screwed up- eyebrows almost at her hairline and I’m sure the words ‘Old Troll’ were dying to escape her.
It never occurred to me that in Darcie’s eyes I have been forever old.
Being ‘old’ is quite a tiring label really: responsibilities weigh heavy on my shoulders as the day to day task of keeping our girls alive mainly boils down to moi. Just keeping the peace between them is like a military operation and reasoning with an exhausted 5 year old post school is a real edge pusher. It’s enough to see me heading for a cheeky aperitif at 4pm.
But I am not just a Muma, I am a daughter and a sister too; sometimes it’s hard to juggle all of my hats, and not neglect those who were once the only ones I called family- long before the crazy world of parenthood took over the care free please yourself equilibrium.
Last week I escaped domestic bliss life, and went to London to spend some time with my sisters and my step Muma, before the eldest younger sister up sticks and emigrates to Hong Kong on a pretty impressive career path. We rarely get a chance to just have a conversation without a toddler hanging from one of us, usually upside down whilst making aeroplane noises. It’s hard enough to keep up with their 20-something lives, without having to performing some kind of aerobics while I try and grasp the bones of their latest promotion.

Swanky Swoo
The chance to ‘grow-down’ for a day was, frankly, bloody marvellous. To have a day when I have my sister / daughter hat on is a rare treat. We saw the incredible Sheridan Smith performing in Funny Girl at the Savoy Theatre, if you are into your musicals then this one is a classic. We over indulged in a totally OTT afternoon tea, complete with pink champers (no Lidl prosecco for us that day…) at the fabulous Sketch, just off of Regents street. It was super swanky, no ball pit or foam rollers in sight: fish out of water here. We sat on the dusky pink velvet uber-cool non-sharpied-on sofas and chatted, with no interruptions. Well, apart from the rather delicious waiter offering free replenishment’s of sandwiches, cakes and scones… I could get used to this: If it hadn’t cost my entire weeks shopping allowance.

Boys Boys Boys…

I made a pretty huge realisation whilst gallivanting about London. And no, it’s not a corny and cheesy family epiphany at all. Quite the opposite: it’s more a gritty, FE-MALE realisation…

We sat down for a quick coffee before the day’s proceedings got going. Conversation was happening but my eyes were darting all over the place, then it dawned on me why;
I was getting redder and redder by the second as I realised this was the first time in years that I had seen so many men in one room. It hadn’t ever really occurred to me before now, that my life is so female heavy!
Christ, Men still exist!

I was seeing men, blokes, guys, MALES all around us. (Sadly I don’t mean we were a honey pot for these suited and booted boys, we just so happened to be near the counter and so as position would have it, we were, in fact; Surrounded!)
Apart from the odd Dad in the playground and of course, my Hubster… I live in ‘girl domination’!
We have 2 girls, their friends are all girls, I socialise with other Mumas.
I don’t go out to work so really do not have any contact with the Male of the species anymore. It has taken me 5 years to realise this, so clearly I don’t feel there is a huge empty testosterone shaped hole in my life. It’s just strange that after years of working alongside men, in male dominated offices, I really have very little to do with half of the country’s population!
As suit after suit wandered in for their caffeine fix, little did they know this Muma was getting a little fix all of her own…
Ok, I’ll get off of my smutty, pheromone high horse, back to business: The Famalam.

I guess what I’m trying to say is if you are lucky enough to be a sister or a daughter, and you actually enjoy their company, then go hang out with your original tribe: Grow down for a day, shed the responsibility of your rug rats and belly laugh with your circle.
It’s oh so good for the soul.