I Can't be Your Everything

I bought new pajamas for my mom yesterday and brought them to her at the nursing home this afternoon. Just one of scores of action items I take care of for her every week.

She asked if I had seen my son. I said that I see her much, much more than I see Aaron. She said the only things she looks forward to are physical therapy and seeing me. I said that I cannot be her everything.

Then she always asks me about work. After 30 years, I think she finally knows that I'm a writer, but she still doesn't get the whole freelance thing. When I told her I was going for an interview for an article I'm writing, she said she hopes I get the job. She just doesn't get it that, even if the article that I write is accepted, it is only one article. It is not a job.

She also doesn't understand that, unlike her roommate's daughters, who have husbands and money, I do not have a support system. When I am not working, I do not have a husband who is working. Her roommate's daughters can be there every day for hours on end because they don't work. This does not compute.