It's Time to Put Down the Ketchup...and Catch Up

The other night I was watching "Jeopardy" with my husband. Boring, I know, but hey, that's life as parents: Our disposable income pays for ballet lessons and new riding boots rather than a babysitter, so we put them to bed and watch TV and call it a date. Anyway, one of the questions was about the Secretary of the Treasury. That's when it hit me: I realized that I had absolutely NO idea who the Secretary of the Treasury is. My mind was as blank as that look my kids give me when I ask them what they did at school each day or whose turn it is to scoop the cat box.

Now, you probably don't know this about Slacker Mom, but I used to be pretty tuned in to world events. I majored in International Relations with an emphasis in U.S./Soviet relations and Middle Eastern conflict. I minored in International Business with an emphasis in Pacific Rim economies. I used to know all twelve Supreme Court justices and the year they were confirmed, the names of various ambassadors and United Nations dignitaries, and who each of my senators and members of Congress were. I used to be knowledgeable in foreign policy, domestic policy, economic policy, and our military's presence in any foreign land.

Not anymore.

These days, I can correctly name all four Wiggles by color, name, and musical instrument; identify the entire PTA executive board, including the names and grades of their children; discuss which stain removers work on each kind of fruit juice stain; and point out all five cute boys of One Direction (Zayn, Harry, Niall, Liam, and Louis - see?)  - but I don't know all the members of the Cabinet or who the lieutenant governor of my state is.

What happened?

Motherhood happened, that's what. My priorities changed, my sphere of influence changed, my world shrank, and my reading list went from "Newsweek" and "USA Today" to Goodnight Moon and Hop on Pop. I used to be the most well-informed woman in my neighborhood, and, I'll be honest, I looked down on the rest of them for not keeping up on current events. Now I know: they weren't stupid or unconcerned with what was happening in the world. They were just stuck in baby jail, barely able to find time to pee or throw in a load of laundry so they could go to the store without spit-up on their clothes. That WAS their world. They didn't have time to step out into the "real" world because their lives were so busy with diapers and feeding that, IF the TV went on, it was Elmo, not CNN, that they watched. Rather than following French politics, they were busy putting ketchup on their kids' french fries.

Who knew?

Slacker Mom Says... it's time for me to catch up on what's going on around me. I don't want to make my world so small that I forget that what's out "there" is really important, too. I want my girls to be up-to-date on current events, to be able to discuss world affairs (but not politician's affairs, thank you very much, John Edwards and the rest of you) and the human condition beyond our front door. One Direction may be big news in my daughters' pre-teen universe , but there's a whole world outside that I used to know and love. It's time to recapture it.

But first I have to go figure out who that new yellow Wiggle is. You know, the one who took over for Greg. My niece loves him.