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A Single Mom, Six Kids ... and One Cop

by blythe newsome  posted Tuesday, September 28, 2010
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Guest blogger Blythe Newsome: When I was married, Saturday was our date night. My husband and I would always get a sitter and go out and spend time together. Now that I am single, though, Saturday night is probably my least-favorite night of the week. My ex-husband and I have worked things out so that I still have Saturday night free as a "date night." The problem is filling in the "date" part.

police car
I recently heard that after 40, a woman has a better chance of being bitten by a king cobra or being hit on the head by falling space debris than she does of getting remarried. And after a few bad dates, I have decided that waiting for a king cobra to strike or for something to fall out of the sky and hit me on the head might actually be a better option. Alas, most of my Saturday nights are spent with my six little dates (a.k.a. my kids). 

Last Saturday, we spent a long day unpacking the last few boxes in the new house, which led to one of the many arguments between the kids. I decided that we needed to get out, and took the gang for pizza. As we were driving along, the children were bantering and bickering back and forth about various things and I was lost in my own thoughts, going over the list of things I needed to get accomplished before another week of school started. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a police officer pulled me over. I did not even see the police car behind me with the lights flashing until the guy turned on his siren as a signal for me to pull over. 

The kids, in a moment of unity, said, "Uh-oh -- you're in trouble." My teenage daughter was quick to suggest that I take my hair down, in case it was a "hot cop." (This is the sweet child who informs me that she will pick out my nursing home before she lets me come live with her, so I'd better get working on my dating life.) I had no idea why the police officer was stopping me. I drive a huge SUV, and with the weight of six kids and a car full of so many Goldfish crackers, backpacks, books, mismatched shoes, coats and other surprises, it does not move very fast.

After slowly and cautiously walking up to the SUV, the cop told me that my brake light was out and that my tag and registration would be expiring soon. He said that they were making random checks (lucky me!), and that I should be sure and get that renewed. He informed me that if the tag and registration went beyond the expiration date of six months, I could be arrested. (Hmm ... those are probably words you should never say to a stressed-out mom.)

The police officer asked if he could see my license and registration. I opened the glove compartment, and out poured CD's, papers, a toothbrush, an old banana and some fruit snacks. As I wrestled to pull the melted gummy-fruit snacks off the registration, I asked the kids to hand me my purse, which had made its way into the arms of my 5-year-old son, Finn. I had just tried to give the officer my best "I have it together" smile when Finn began to scream. He refused to let go of my purse. My 7-year-old daughter, Elspeth, told the officer to "Tase" him -- and once again, the children found something they all agreed on. They all started chanting, "Tase Finn! Tase Finn!" 

I once read somewhere that prisoners can't do kitchen duty and laundry duty at the same time, because that is considered "cruel and inhumane." (Funny, most moms do both the laundry and the cooking every day, and no one ever calls that an injustice!) Anyway, I looked at the officer and told him I thought jail sounded nice. Looking a bit overwhelmed himself, he said, "Don't worry about it" -- and walked away. Incredible: This was the closest a man had been to me in a long time, and I couldn't even get him to stick around long enough to write his name on a ticket! 

But at least this "date night" had a happy ending: My six little dates all ended up singing something in unison!


next: Is Your Little One Destined To Be a Doctor?
22 comments so far | Post a comment now
Katie September 28, 2010, 8:55 PM

I really got a kick out of this one! Thanks for writing in.

MartiniMama September 29, 2010, 7:46 AM

This made me laugh out loud, thanks for posting it! I hope you soon have a date night with Mr. Right! :)

Jazzie September 29, 2010, 12:28 PM

Life of a single moms is wavy in nature. Hard co’z of finances but fun because of the child.

Arina October 12, 2010, 1:37 PM

Well Blythe I’d have to say that you are one of the most amazing moms in the whole world. Such crazy life yet take it on so well. Believe me, me being a mother of four, he will come. I almost gave up on love but if I had, I would not have the wonderful husband I have now. Thanks for telling the world your stories - Arina

Stephen Dave October 24, 2010, 11:01 PM

Very good article. I am single dad with only one child. It’s hard work but, I love him so much. I couldn’t even image that times six.

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Ashley December 26, 2010, 2:18 AM

i am a single mother and i know how tough it can get tough sometimes,not just in the financial sphere but also on the emotional part.One thing that has helped me is mingling with other single moms through support groups.Just talking it out does help a lot.Happy New Year to all the single mothers out there.

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