National Chelsea's Day a Little Different

When my daughter was very young, probably about 3 or 4 years old or so I went out for New Year's Eve and left her with a baby sitter for the first time. I know what you're thinking... Your daughter was 3 or 4 YEARS old before you left her with a baby sitter??!? Yeah. And the guilt haunted me the whole evening. Now, of course, I don't know why. I was young and a new mom, a single mom at that, so sinking myself into my daughter kept me busy. Actually, upon reflecting on it, I realize that I met a man who became my boyfriend when I was still pregnant with Chelsea and we were big homebodies. There was a baby in the house and we didn't go out much. We broke up (for the first time) the fall after Chelsea turned 3 so I believe that was the first time I went out on a New Year's Eve to a party since being a mom.

Anyway, the next day, New Year's Day, I took Chelsea out and we had a special little day just for us. I told her it was National Chelsea's day and she was SO excited! She had no idea there was a special day just for her. She loved it so much and I had such a great time too that I decided that we would always hold the first day of the year sacred as her special day. I told myself that this day would make up for the fact that I would be going out on New Year's Eve and leaving her with a sitter so I would have to make it up to her.

The years have gone by and this tradition has held fast. Every New Year's Day is Chelsea's special day and she can do whatever she wants on National Chelsea Day. Every year, however, I have not had a party to go to. Every year I have not left her with a sitter. In fact, I believe that even to this day I could count the times I've left Chelsea with an actual baby sitter on one hand. National Chelsea's Day has also changed over the years. When Chelsea was a kid "anything you want to do" included things like going to see TWO movies and getting gummy worms to eat in the theater and then getting ice cream at marble slab and then playing in the ball pit at FunPlex all afternoon and going out for pizza at night.

This year she wanted to get a tattoo and thought that she would get a yes just because it was National Chelsea's Day and she gets whatever she wants on National Chelsea Day. It's not that long to wait for her 18th birthday when she can make decisions about permanently altering her body all by herself and I won't be responsible.

This year, also, was the second year in her life when I didn't have a lot of money on the first of the month. I've always worked for UH since I was 21 years old and had my first job. And I've always been paid on the first of the month. Well as most of you know I changed jobs last February and have had to get used to getting paid every 2 weeks. As it happens, I got paid on 1/4/08 and that was as close as I could get after all the Christmas spending. So we had NCD today. But! Another but... This year, as many of you know, I started seeing Chris seriously and we've been living together since July when I moved across the street from his house and he moved in with me. So we all took Chelsea out to breakfast this morning at IHOP and then went on a search for the DVD series of the Gilmore Girls. I purchased season 5 for her and she wanted to watch them all for the rest of the day. And that was it for her. She just wanted a day when she could watch tv all day.

If there were a National Melissa Day I would want foot rubs all day long and maybe a massage and a nap with some lovely incense burning. And when I woke up there would be a wonderful cup of tea and a small chocolate treat and then a perfect comfy chair that I could curl up in and spend some time reading a book. What a treat that would be. To have time to read a book. Wow! Then I'd soak in a bubble bath with some wine and go snuggle up with Chris and have him read me to sleep. That makes me smile just thinking about it.

I do need to schedule more time with my daughter. I'll get better about that. I realize that I don't have much time left before she's off to college and then gone. I don't like to think about that day. Instead I'll think about my perfect day.

LOVE