Saturday, March 21, 2009

What Have I Forgotten?

You know that feeling that you have forgotten something, but can not put your finger on what that ‘something’ is?

No?

Have you forgotten?

Forgotten that feeling of phantom forgetfulness?

Well, I haven’t. It is a regular phenomenon here in the household of Single Parent Dad.

What is worse is when you think that you have remembered what it is you were labouring over, only to discover, that actually it is in excess to the thing that initially sent your mind into frustrating numbness.

I must be pregnant.

Oh, forgot, that default dubious excuse is the sole reserve of the fairer sex.

At the end of last week, well nearly the end (my son finishes nursery on a Thursday), we were on our walk home when the eerie feeling of neglect consumed my tiny mind.

Child – Check.
Child’s coat – Check.
Child’s hi-vis – Check.
Child’s bag – Check.
Child’s nursery output for the day – Check.
Letters/ Invites/ Invoices – Check.
House keys – Check.
Child’s lunch bag, and remains of uneaten contents – Missing. And therefore left at nursery to rot over the extended weekend.

Nice.

Not a problem though, as I get my son to mix cold packed lunches with the hot dinners the neighbouring school can provide. Not literally you understand, but different meal types for different days of the week.

But then, being a bit simple, I do a lot of my thinking out loud, and Junior discovered that his lunch bag had been left in the nursery’s corridor.

Ridiculous inanimate-object-of-absolutly-no-importance-until-mentioned-crying-over ensued.

The thought of entrusting his mini-cooling zip-up to his nursery for a few days was simply too much.

But with us due to go swimming, and to visit the chip shop on our way home, he was quickly consoled and the truck-adorned-sandwich-holder forgotten.

And it stayed that way, for both of us, until our return to nursery yesterday morning, when that feeling of not ticking all the boxes returned to my highest body part.

I twittered about forgetting, forgetting.

YES.I.AM.THAT.INTERESTING.

But, while quelling my Douglas Quaid feelings temporarily, I still had not bottomed-out my current to-do list.

I had forgotten the generous invite to blog here, an imposter amongst the Hot Dads of the web.

A feat I have now managed to remember to do.

Surely, at the cost of something else.

19 comments:

Just me... said...

Hey! Cut yourself some slack! You did remember to pick the child up from daycare!! My mother once forgot to pick me up!! She got all the way home (17 miles away) before remembering!! Needless to say, she had tons of guilt over that.. I, however, thought it was pretty damn cool that I got an additional hour of play!!!

Just Jules said...

Hey you sound like a perfectly wonderful father who has earned his stripes because you pulled out the diversion technique - score 1 dad!

Unknown said...

We all have those check the box moments. Some of us on a daily basis...

I look forward to you remembering, on occasion, to post something here.

~*Jobthingy*~ said...

as a single mom for 10 years i hear you and i hate to say its always like that. i call it mommy brain. your mind is trying to do a million things at once and you forget the smallest detail.

Mary said...

I blame it on the kids. It doesn't matter if you are the mother or the father. Either way, the kids just suck the brain cells right out of you.

I try to forget about the check boxes. At the end of the day if everyone is alive and relatively happy, we've accomplished something.

TentCamper said...

Shit...reading this post...and I totally forgot to feed the kids lunch. Now I have to attempt to run interference for myself.

Shelle-BlokThoughts said...

hahaha...welcome to my life! It sucks having to check off all the boxes to see if I have everything...and for the most part I pat myself on the back and head out the door and then...

CRAP...I usually have forgotten something!

But glad you took some time to post...and remember...even if it means you might have forgotten something else! :)

Debbie said...

when I am not home being a mom... I am a preschool teacher of 2 years old. I have witnessed firsthand the TRAUMA a left lunch box brings... funny how quickly they forget the drama...:) !!!!forgetting is part of what I do daily as a single mom of 3..I should keep a checklist, but sadly I would just forget where I put it!!

Rhea said...

At least you didn't forget the child.

DGB said...

From one forgetful Hot Dad to another...um...I forgot what I was going to say.

Tuesday Taylor said...

Oh, hell, I forget stuff everyday. Luckily my kids are old enough to remind me I'm their mama.

My expressions LIVE said...

I usually remember the kids...its the wife I try to forget...lol.

Anonymous said...

be kind to yourself and cut yourself some slack.

Ian Newbold said...

Just Me... - And some leverage for parent manipulation.

It's Just Me - I think I'm a corporal.

Blogging Mama Andrea - Right, you have the job of reminding me if I go AWOL for too long.

Jobthingy - Mommy brain indeed.

Mary - Exactly. Happy is the overall aim, so the detail is, largely, unimportant.

TentCamper - Quality.

Shelle-Blok Thoughts - I will.

Debbie - I lose my checklists too.

Rhea - It's a good start.

Daddy Geek Boy - Very good.

Scandalous Housewife - I charge my boy with some reminding tasks.

My expressions LIVE - Usually?

Raino - Will do.

SweetPeaSurry said...

I do that stuff all the time. Completely forget what I walked into another room to get. Sometimes I remember, sometimes I just let it go!

Susan said...

Now that I'm not working anymore, I literally had to set TWO alarms in my cell phone just to remember to pick up my girls from elementary school. And yes, it was because I actually forgot them one day. Thank god, something internal told me I was "forgetting" something, and I made it there before they were hauled back into school to be reported to child protection. ;)

said...

Gosh I'm glad its not just me who suffers from pregnancy brain. And I'm not even pregnant! (Of course, neither are you.)

Still I'm convinced that being pregnant before killed more brain cells than any drugs I've ever done.

Not that I've done that. No. Absolutely not.

Heh.

Welcome, SPD. Hot dads are always welcome here!

DD's Diary said...

Once left an avocado in Child Two's school bag front pocket for 3months. When I finally scooped it out it was almost done! Well done on remembering the child, I say

Ian Newbold said...

SweetPeaSurry - Yep. I have yet to implode either, but it is only a matter of time

Susan - Brilliant.

T- How would you know? ;-)

DulwichDivorcee - I daren't go into the depths of my son's nursery bag. If I remember to pick it up of course.

Related Posts with Thumbnails