Being in Labour

by Afreena Islam-Wright

A Portrait Study by William McMillan

The charity bags will be collected on Tuesday but what’s the weather forecast should I risk it and put them out the night before and I’ve got a governor’s meeting on Thursday so I need to book afterschool club which they don’t like which reminds me they didn’t like the veggie burger so I need go on parentpay and change every lunch order that is the veggie burger and also it’s Nuria that likes the meatballs and Miki that likes the lasagne and I can sense Nuria doesn’t really enjoy playing the piano and she said she wants to do violin but is it that I should be teaching her to persevere when things are tricky for the good dopamine or do I actually listen because actually listening is something that I should be doing and don’t forget they also need swimming hats and double check that the boiler is actually fixed and the radiator is still leaking but I can’t really bug Roy about it because he’s doing it as a favour don’t forget to reply to that email and actually do the work that the email is asking of you and prepare the invoices so they’re ready to go when it’s time to get paid and how much money do I need to move into the bill account the spreadsheet will tell me and get onto the gas and electric company to tell them you have 2 less people living in your house so you think the direct debit really should come down from £254 a month but at the same time he doesn’t have a washing machine or a working shower where he lives so I still need to wash the kids and their clothes and ignore the passive aggressive messages about dropping them off late because that all takes longer and I wonder if the school swimming lessons mean I don’t have to send them to extra swimming lessons on Friday evenings and when will they be moved up in gymnastics and who do I email about that and I need to sort out the next holiday we’re going on and also make sure that I have eradicated the pantry moths that have been coming out of the woodworks but what about if I just get a whole new kitchen but first I need to do the bathroom and actually the carpet in the hall stairs and landing but it makes sense to do the bathroom first because that will cause mess going down the stairs and I mean the kids have painted and drawn all over their walls and furniture and ripped pieces of wallpaper off the walls so am I supposed to sort that or will it happen again I don’t know what age they stop doing that and am I supposed to care because I have kids and this is their house so who am I trying to impress I should be impressing them so I should be upbeat and go to the gym because that helps the mental health innit and they won’t tell me that I am stressed and that I forget when I crash out because how do they even know that and what am I doing I am the only grown up left so we should move house to be close to the good schools really let’s have a look at rightmove but I won’t get a house as good as this one so I need to get a full time job so I can get the mortgage so I just need to apply for some jobs so I can do that but then I’ll see them less and actually are they too little for that and I want to see them but what is the right decision overall for all of us and do I want to take them away from their friends but there are so many flags but I think the flags are everywhere now but what are they hearing in school which reminds me Nuria has lost her login for ttrockstars so I must ask her teacher but I mean…

I am doing this horizontally…

in PJs…

from bed…


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