Going Solo

These past few days have given me a new-found respect for single mums ( & those mums whose partners don't contribute to the household).  At touch last week Nathan hurt his ankle.  I was busy chatting to Isaac on the sidelines when I heard someone say "I think Nathan's hurt - he's limping." Now, Nathan has a habit of limping after playing most sports so I said "Oh, that's just how he is after a bit of a run."  I looked up briefly to see Nathan collapse on the ground, rolling and clinging to his foot.   So after gaining a reputation as an uncaring wife, I dutifully found some ice and took Nathan home at half time.  A trip to the physio later and we establish that whilst his Achilles tendon is intact, it's undergone a fair bit of trauma and Nathan needs to stay off it as much as possible.   These past few days, he has taken residence on the couch, with his ankle iced and elevated.  Unfortunately, Isaac has chosen this exact time to go through a clingy "only- mummy-will-do" phase.  Balancing a crying baby, whilst making dinner and cleaning with no help has given me a new perspective on both how much Nathan does do around the house as well a small insight into single mum's lives.  Nathan is of course terribly frustrated that he cannot settle Isaac at the moment.  The other day he was determined to hold him.  Isaac cried and looked at me beseechingly through the tears, his chubby little hands reaching out.  I looked beseechingly at Nathan to hand him over.  "No, he needs to learn that he can't always go to you."  Eventually the tears stopped but it does make me wonder how we will manage when I go back to work.