Saturday, May 12, 2012

The great sweatpants debacle

Last Wednesday, I spent the entire day walking around with my pants on backwards.

(I'll give you a second to gain control of your laughter.)

What the mailman looked like when he saw
 me and my pants walk out the front door.
Image courtesy of
bk images / Freedigitalphotos.net
Okay now?

So, yes. My pants were on backwards--as in the front was in the back (and the back was in the front, of course). In my defense, though, they were sweatpants with no back pockets (I guess the tag wasn't a clue), I got dressed in the dark (Well, with my eyes shut, but it was early), and I'm a mom, and what mom has time to pay attention to her clothes when the oatmeal is boiling over and one kid is crying and the other kid is kickboxing the wall and she's just realized that there's no milk for breakfast....

Yes, I know. Excuses. Never mind. I'll just own it:

I wore my pants backwards. All day. I noticed about a half-hour before my husband came home from work.

Now, I have to give my husband credit. When he walked into the house that night and I told him what I'd done, he didn't laugh. No, not at all.

His response?

"At least you know where you've been."

(Yeah, it's a laugh riot at our house.)

Still, as I thought more about this latest in a long line of embarrassing moments (Oh, yes, I have quite the string of them. Hard to imagine, huh?) and my husband's response to it, I had a bit of an epiphany (if it's possible to have a "bit"--maybe it was more of an epiph). I thought (and I'm being serious now) that maybe--just maybe--the great sweatpants debacle was a sign that I need to slow down and take more time for myself.

Huh. That one made me stop and think. And also change my mind: it wasn't an epiph; it was definitely an epiphany.

Really, we parents have a lot on our plates, and sometimes we forget that we need to take time for ourselves, too. When we have children, the center of our world changes, and we rush around doing everything for everyone, sometimes neglecting our own needs.

We run errands, bring our kids to school, drop off library books, grocery shop, cook meals, do laundry, think up last-minute science projects, look for things that everyone else has lost ("Where's my sock monkey?" is a common lament here), change diapers, referee fights, perform minor surgeries, fill (and refill) sippy cups, scrape Play-Doh off the rug, give baths, potty train... Whew!

Now I'm not in any way trying to diminish the parenting roles we play--they are worthwhile and important--but what I am saying is that we do a lot for others, and maybe we should try to be better about taking a little time for ourselves every once in a while as well: time to breathe, to take part in hobbies, to relax, to call a friend, to sit down with a cup of tea and a good book, and yes, time to make sure we don't have our pants on backwards before we rush out the door.

Because it's not fun to go out in public that way.

Ask me how I know.

33 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you, Dana! We moms (and dads too) need to take time for ourselves. I do tell new moms that, to allow time and not to feel guilty about it. I think it is refreshing, even if it is just a few minutes a day, just to have it as your own. I think we've all done that with various pieces of clothing, mine were tops :)

    betty

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    1. Ha! Glad I'm not the only one. :)

      Yes, I'm definitely in need of "me time." In fact, I'm hoping for a "me time" Mother's Day. We shall see... ;)

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  2. Kudos to you for being in good enough shape not to be put off by too little fabric in the back of those sweatpants. I'm sure I would have noticed immediately had I tried to wear my pants backwards.

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    1. LOL Believe me, I could be in much better shape! I think I was probably just too distracted to notice. :)

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  3. Yes!! Do take some time for you (no guilt allowed either)! :)

    I'm sure I've worn things inside out to at least one political event... those days of keeping little ones alive are such a blur...

    You are doing an amazing job- I'm so impressed!!!

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    1. Thanks, Cheryl. That means a lot.

      And I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one. How embarrassing that was! LOL

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  4. I would easily have done the same - yet never even noticed... and I don't even have the excuse for being a mom. There's a superstition here that - if you put your clothes on backwards or inside-out, and then notice and change them so that you're wearing them properly, it means that you'll get some new clothes ;-)

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    1. I'm claiming that superstition! I need new clothes. ;)

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  5. haha i am sure i have done this--it reminds me of two shoe stories--my grandmother was complaining about her feet killing her--my grand-dad-tells her if she would wear them on the correct feet, she might feel better--then my husband's dad was bragging about the great price he got on some used shoes, one day--i hated to tell him, that no wonder, they didn't match---cute slice of life post!

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    1. Thanks, Lynn.

      What great stories you have--hilarious. Once again I have to say that I'm glad I'm not the only one doing these crazy things. LOL

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  6. I'm glad you've had a self-care epiphany! Sorry that it took mild embarrassment to do so...

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  7. You gave me a good laugh for sure, silly wabbit!
    I went to work once with 2 different shoes on (both were black flats) and nobody noticed and another time I only had mascara on one eye. I have white lashes so it should have been obvious, right? Nope, not a word. Oh, and I wore my undies inside out last week, noticed in the bathroom halfway through the day the bow on front was on the inside. I call them blond moments. There are many.
    Have a great Mother's Day and wear your sweatpants how ever you want, it's YOUR day!

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    1. Aw, thanks! I've done the undies thing before--oh, and socks, too: same color, different kinds. And the mascara: believe it or not, that happened to me, too, back in school. My lashes are black, so I was the only one who knew, but I just felt weird all day. LOL

      Happy Mother's Day to you as well!

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  8. oh my gosh! I HAD MY PANTS ON BACKWARDS ALL DAY TWO SATURDAYS AGO, !!! ... I saw so many people I knew!! at the bank, the grocery store, 2 baseball games..no one said one word to me....oh well..my husband said probably none noticed.hahaha..
    happy Mothers day!

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    1. No way! And here I thought I was the only one experiencing pants debacles! It's horrible, isn't it? When you finally figure it out, you start thinking about all the places you've been and all the people who saw... *shudder* I hope your husband's right--for both our sakes.

      Happy Mother's Day!

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  9. That is too funny! But yes, I agree, we parents really need to make sure we take care of ourselves so that we don't become a public embarrassment!

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  10. The worst I ever did was wear two differently-colored socks to work. Okay, one was white and the other was black. But, instead of trying to hide it, I showed it off to everyone. Kinda thought to get ahead of any abuse.
    Oh, wait, there was this time I wore my pants on my head, though......

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  11. Thanks for making me laugh! I've put on a few shirts backwards in the last few years. T-shirts without tags, mind you! I think all parents need a little time to themselves. It's the hardest job on the planet, but the most rewarding. Have a Happy Mother's Day. :)

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    1. I've had my share of problems with shirts, too. :)

      I'll definitely be working on trying to find more time to myself--especially after this. LOL

      Happy Mother's Day!

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  12. I agree it is very important to try and find time for yourself, it might just be half an hour to read in peace, it doesn't necessarily mean going out on the town once a week. Good luck - you'll get there.

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  13. This is too funny, Dana! I for one think you can wear your pants backwards if you'd like. I'm sure I've done that at some point, but I'm now too old to remember it and too old to worry about it! I do actually Love your husband's reply. Happy Mother's Day!!

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    1. LOL Thanks, Fran. Happy Mother's Day to you as well!

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  15. I logged in w/ the wrong email! Kind of like having your pants on backwards! I love this post...too funny! It's great,though, how moms just go on with their day, getting things done. I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't always on top of how she's put together! Happy Mother's Day!

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    1. Thanks, mare. You're definitely not the only one!

      Happy Mother's Day to you, too!

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  17. Ha ha Dana I remembered when I did something similar I hope you don't mind me stealing the idea. I am going to write a blog about it.

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  18. So funny and so true. I have to remind myself of this all of the time. And usually I just avoid looking in the mirror so I can claim ignorance if my hair is on end or I forgot to cover up a zit. Fortunately I don't take myself too seriously so that helps. :)

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    1. That's the kind of attitude I need to have. I was so mortified. LOL

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