Last night I went to a birthday party for a friend whom I met when I was an intern. While there I also caught up with another friend whom I consider my mentor; she was my boss at that internship. She helped me figure out which side was up when I was starting my career as a reporter and when I was figuring out where to go next. I used to babysit her daughters. In fact, when her youngest was born, I drove the older daughter to the hospital so she could meet her baby sister, and said baby sister was, until I had my own kids, the youngest human being I had ever laid eyes on. She’s looking at colleges now and last night I gave her mom an earful of advice about what kind of program she ought to be thinking about. When I left that job, they joked I was doing it for the costume access my new job would give me; last Friday my daughter came to work with me and spent half the day with a seam-ripper in her hand, entertaining the costume crew. Then I exchanged cell phones with another woman to admire each other’s kids — I babysat her son through the worst of his Star Wars obsession as a kindergartner and banged out punk versions of Return to Sender on his drum set (oh how the neighbors must’ve loved us), and now he’s a dashing 18-year-old on the cusp of college.
Mind. Blown.
Meanwhile, ahem, I have become the grandmother of Elizasmom’s children. And just today, I sent a very belated Christmas card to the woman who became a motherly friend when my oldest child was born. I was a rather young mother by today’s standards and lived in a foreign country with noone to ask questions nor even knowing what questions to ask. I still remember her visit to me at the maternity ward and the color of the little pyjamas she brought for my new baby. Today, her sons are grandfathers themselves but she and I are still close and dear friends. I find this epic, awesome, breathtaking – and funny.
I did child care for 30 years, and I’m still astounded that some of my “babies” are adults with kids of their own.
I know.
For some reason it doesn’t seem to make me feel so old when I see my children age, but when other people’s children’s age I really feel it!