MY WIFE IS PREGNANT, those words at some stage my friends who are married will tell me. Now friends I can handle telling me that with minimal wincing. Things are about to change right?
So I can deal with seeing less and less and less and less of my friends as they embrace parenthood. Although I truly wonder why people become more scarce when they have children. Surely community is developed by seeing more of each other. Anyway, back to the story…….
Seeing less of friends that I can handle, but when you are only 2 in your department and your colleague says those four words, MY WIFE IS PREGNANT…….. Now that will have some drastic and direct effects on my life now won’t it….
Firstly all the doctor appointments seem to fall on critical periods (whenever I am free) leaving me no option, but to cover. I mean, what could be more important in a single person’s life than a doctor’s appointment for your future baby??????
How do I compete with that? There is simply nothing big enough to reason my way out of that one. All I could ask is how is it possible that all the appointments happen when there are shows and I am free (well whether I am or not is irrelevant) I will be free so that the wife can be taken to the hospital. My mind naturally clings to conspiracy theories and this one wreaks of it ha ha ha (insert evil laugh)
So where does that leave me? I cannot think of a single thing that can top that, other than my own funeral. Being married always wins, and if you want to seal the deal, have a baby. No single person can beat that. My own funeral cannot be the only way, since I will not be there to gloat over my colleague and say “top that” you married child haver…..
But yes I digress. What can I do? I hate doctors so I cannot fake illnesses since I would have to go the fake doctor to get a fake certificate. And since I am thehonestone, that does not fit my demeanor.
So I suffer on and take those shot s for the team (of 2) and make my contribution to society and one day I might meet this child of which I sacrificed many an hour for and hope that it was worth it.
The only joy I have in that is when I get home I lay my head down with no new born baby to awake it until I awake (naturally I might add). And celebrate the joys of singleness until the next doctor’s appointment……
thehonestone
On the other hand, you’re getting paid and hopefully have lots of vacation time accrued because of it while your married coworker is burning through sick days and FMLA time. In my work, most of my coworkers that are parents must fight for time off during periods that are otherwise peak times of year, because their kids are home and work won’t pay enough for them to hire childcare, etc.
While I relate quite a bit to what you’re saying, I used to be the one that took up all the free hours when people can’t come in for this or that, I may very well be the one that needs all the time soon… you never know until you know…
I hear what you saying and I guess if the per hour work rate actually influenced our salary it would work out good for me, but sadly it does not add or take away from my salary whether I covered or did not cover for the shows done (unless they are a sunday or public holiday). But for the leave days yep I do have more in my pocket on those yay……
But I guess I am just venting here. so I do hear you
That’s a bummer, and I agree that’s quite unfair. I did not take salaried work into account. (I’ve been paid either per hour or per task for my entire working life.)
I see you do electronic music. Do you do that for a living?
The sleep is the thing. Your married friends have probably already told you this, but everyone stops sleeping about three months before the baby is born, and then doesn’t sleep again for at least another year. And then after you finally get some sleep? It’s the most wonderful thing in the world and you will do anything to protect it. Hence the scarcity of your colleague.
I did my time as the childless one in an office full of people with small children. It does get better 🙂
Well I guess I shall be catching up on sleep for the future, ha ha ha
I know what you mean, my small group at church is full of young families, and while I sympathise and would do anything to help them, it does often seem that we singles take more than our fair share of work! Also, you occasionally get the feeling that your opinions and struggles are less valued! But I do love kids, can’t wait to have a family and all the excuses that go along with one :p
I can wait for children hey, ha ha ha…..