I have to be the worst mother in the world this week.  While the rest of families are having fun on vacation, and doing special activities for Spring Break, my kids are sitting home doing nothing.  I can picture it now.  My seven year old will go back to school on Monday and stare at his Junie B. Jones first grade journal.  His most exciting event of the week has been watching our neighbors get something done in their backyard.  We can’t actually see what is going on; we just sit and stare out the window watching the various trucks at work.

Even though I am quite busy at work, I had everything all planned out.  I was going to do some special things during the days with my kids (when I wasn’t coaching) and then make up for lost work at night when my hubby got home.  Well, my best laid plans were thrown out the window on Sunday when I hurt my back.  Actually, I just bent over, and when you’re over 40 and have had a previous back injury, that’s all it takes.  So this whole week I have been unable to stand or walk without being in a lot of pain.  Even sitting for too long has been taxing.

For the most part, I have been keeping a fairly good attitude about this situation, but today I started feeling guilty.  Don’t you just hate “mommy guilt”?  So I take myself through my own Guilt-free Parenting workshop, asking myself “Is this valid guilt or invalid guilt?”  Well, I do think it’s valid guilt because I would like to be more involved with my children than I have been.  Then I realize I have fallen into Guilt Trap #1 – Feeling Guilt for Things We Can’t Control.  Can I really control this back situation?  Although I would like to believe I can control it with positive thinking and massive doses of Ibuprofen, in the end, my back is going to heal when it’s ready.

Plan B.  What are the positives I can draw from this situation?  I’m having a hard time coming up with any.  I can’t do anything fun.  I can’t go to Tae Kwon Do so I’m probably gaining weight!  My kids are bored, and I am a boring mother.  Aw, I got it!  I can’t do housework or laundry!

Plan C.  Enough complaining; what is the solution?  Convince my kids that it’s fun to lay in bed all day and watch TV?  Figure out some fun and creative activities we can do while laying around on the floor?  I think my seven year old had the best idea when he said, “We could get you a wheelchair mom.”

Maybe when I’m 80 years old, but not a chance today.