It was just another typical Friday evening. After a long day at work, I returned home to find my husband, Mark, a stay-at-home dad, looking utterly spent from a day of wrangling our energetic 2-year-old. As soon as I unloaded the groceries from my car, he declared that he was ready to clock out and take a well-deserved nap.
Being the supermom that I am, I had anticipated this scenario and picked up a rotisserie chicken from Costco, despite Mark’s usual complaints about it not being organic. In that moment, I thought, forget it! Antibiotic- and hormone-laden chicken it is!
Dressed in my Wonder Woman pajama pants, I served up the meticulously prepared meal while my son, Jack, sat at the table happily devouring his Costco chicken, croissant, and an organic Fuji apple. Meanwhile, I glanced at the growing pile of clutter on the kitchen table. Oh, the picture frames I ordered for his school photos had arrived! While he enjoyed his dinner, I figured I’d pop the photos into the frames. I mean, what a multitasker I am! This totally makes up for the not-so-great dinner decision.
As my husband dozed in the other room, Jack was shoveling food into his mouth, and I was busy framing pictures. Suddenly, nature called. I moved Jack’s food out of reach and asked him to finish chewing. You see, I’m a supermom who thinks ahead! I turned on the TV to Paw Patrol—our go-to show—and dashed to the bathroom. I was gone for less than two minutes—just enough time for a quick pee and a hand wash. No distractions, just a swift trip.
When I returned, I was met with a shocking sight: my little tornado was sitting amidst the remains of the picture frame boxes. I still can’t figure out how he got to them. He was trying to hand me something, and I naively assumed it was a piece of cardboard. But as I reached down to take it from him, he casually stated, “I ate it.” My heart sank.
In his little hand, he was holding one of those silica gel packets that scream “DO NOT EAT.” Panic surged through me as I snatched it from him, frantically checking to see if it had been in his mouth. It was dry and intact—thank goodness! But then my eyes fell on the empty packet, corner missing and damp with his saliva, with a few little beads rolling around on the table.
I don’t know what happened to my body in that moment, but I was in full-on crisis mode, adrenaline pumping like crazy. I screamed for Mark and began searching Jack’s mouth for any remaining pellets while unbuckling him from his booster seat. With urgency, I yelled for Mark again, but he didn’t wake up until I stormed into the room, flipped on the lights, and insisted he get up immediately. I tossed Jack onto the bed, explaining the situation in a rush.
In my frantic state, I couldn’t find my phone, so I grabbed Mark’s. Thankfully, he’s organized, and Poison Control was right there in his contacts. Unlike the 911 response in our area, someone picked up quickly. A calm and professional voice greeted me, “Poison Control.” I blurted out the situation, mentally kicking myself for wearing those Wonder Woman pj pants—I clearly didn’t deserve them.
She assured me that this type of call is actually quite common. “He’s fine, I promise.” She explained that the packet says “DO NOT EAT” because it poses a choking hazard, but the pellets themselves are harmless. As long as he was breathing and not in distress, he was totally okay. After gathering some basic information, she ended the call.
Mark had walked in by then and quickly grasped that everything was alright. I relayed the information to him, and as I placed his phone back on the counter, I suddenly burst into tears. Not proud of that Wonder Woman moment anymore. To make matters worse, Jack had started picking the pellets off the floor and munching on them! We quickly cleared his mouth and whisked him out of the room while we cleaned up the mess. I could hardly breathe—“He could have died! He could have died!”
Mark pulled me aside and reassured me, “He was never in danger. He’s fine. I’m just going to throw the laundry in the dryer. Try not to kill him while I’m gone.”
And there we were, just another Friday night in the life of a supermom. When I take a step back, I realize how many of these chaotic evenings we’ve already survived. Maybe I am deserving of those Wonder Woman pj’s after all. But honestly, screw that silica gel!
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In summary, parenting is filled with unexpected events that push us to our limits, but we somehow find the strength to navigate through it all.
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