Packing for the holidays? There is still some work to be done in that area.”
Image: Nine IJff
Laura Hogendoorn is editor-in-chief of Mamaplaats, the blog platform for and by mothers. She lives in ‘t Gooi, together with her boyfriend Oscar and their children Roef (8), Sierd (7) and Maia (4).
“Are we ready to go?” my husband asks without batting an eyelid. I look at him in disbelief. Does he really mean this? In one hand I see a newspaper, in the other a pair of sunglasses. We are about to go on vacation. Looking forward to it, of course, but can I complain here about the preparation and in particular the (at least in our case) heavily disproportionate distribution of it?!
Casting
He explains that he had to grab that newspaper from the mailbox (at least two steps) and that his sunglasses really needed to be searched and polished.
“The stress level is up to the ceiling”
I listen to his story as I just ran through the house like a headless chicken to pack all five bags, rushed to the drugstore for the last of the toiletries, ripped sleeping things out of some closets and stuffed candy and Disney movies into a bag. So that the children do not beat each other to the bone for at least the first ten kilometers. The stress level is up to the ceiling. But hey, nice collaboration. Saved me grabbing sunglasses again!
Packing up
Now I hear you thinking: yes, but you are not smart. Don’t you let him pack his own things? Well, once I let it go. Several years ago (pre-children) I thought, let’s see what happens if I only pack my own bag.
We had an early morning flight so I had already tentatively dropped the night before that might be a good time to pack. But no. The moment we had to be at Schiphol, Mr. took a plastic bag at home in peace and quiet to put three boxer shorts and a few short-sleeved shirts in it. We went to Iceland. “We will buy the rest there.”
“It was -10, but he hadn’t thought about a thick coat”
Once at the airport, our names were called. We were the last to board the plane. It was February and -10 in Reykjavik, too, but he hadn’t thought about a thick coat.
Never again, I thought. And so I’m packing like a man possessed again this year. And I think of all those mothers who are doing the same thing right now. Because emancipation is nice, but in this area I fear that there is still some work to be done.
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