The Lost Notion of Privacy

One of my greatest complaints about being married and having children is the total loss of all the privacy I once enjoyed. This morning I got on the scale and let out an audible curse, to which my husband shouts from bed "how much?" Is nothing sacred anymore? That is really just the beginning of it though. It is non-stop.

I open the refrigerator, "what are you eating?", I get up off the couch "where are you going?". I get off the phone, "who were you talking to?" I get on the internet, "what are you reading"…it never ends.

Then, there are the kids, I am sitting on the toilet and suddenly the door swings open and Joey is standing there saying "hi mama". Hi Joey…

I won't even get into the concept of taking care of personal maintenance. I mean, can I just get 5 minutes to do some hair removal on my upper lip with out someone barging in and asking what I am doing. A few seconds to pluck the stray hair that has sprouted on my chin since I had kids.

How do I get away? How do I make it stop? I just want to be able to grab a snack with out the inquisition, or for that matter the judgment. For instance, last night when I went to grab a mini candy bar out of the jar and Scott hollers out "how's the diet going?". I just want a candy bar, not a lecture on my diet, and certainly not a check in the next morning regarding my correlating weight gain.

I want to get up and go downstairs to change the laundry with out having to give a play by play of my actions. I want to talk on the phone without someone begging in the background, "who are you talking to?"

I want to find a tactful way of telling Scott to mind his own damn business and leave me the hell alone. Then I remember that I am married and those nuptials come with a promise that I will never be alone, ever again, and most of the time that is actually a good thing, even if it comes with some strings attached. And when you decide to have a child you forgo any rights to your personal space. And the sound of Joey's little voice singing out "hi mama" so innocently as I take care of my business is truly priceless and worth every sacrifice in the world.

So, there you have it, my privacy is a thing of the past and I guess I am learning to be okay with that.