When I first retired from full time employment as a cost accountant, I wanted my household to be organized and efficient. We had accepted an infant as a foster care placement giving us four young boys at home at the time. I had also been licensed to provide daycare to unrelated children before retiring and was watching two toddlers full time. I was used to getting up at 5:30 every morning and continued to do so, for a few years. Everything I did, I did in a hurry including running up and down stairs.

There wasn’t an emergency, I was just trying to accomplish as much in a day as possible. I didn’t want to leave the little ones unsupervised so if I went upstairs I always hurried back down. Lane had woken up that morning and was calling from upstairs. I ran up the stairs to get him and was running back down the stairs with him on one hip. My mother had given me a new pair of slippers and I had decided to try wearing them all day. After all, I was a stay at home mom now so outdoor footwear wasn’t necessary.

I put Lane on one hip and hurried down the stairs. I guess that slippers have their name for a reason, because I slipped and landed none too gracefully, quite hard on my rump. Lane had one leg around my back and one leg around my front. He whined a little, which wasn’t his style and limped around. Hours later, he was still complaining so I took him to the doctor, not really expecting anything.

I thought the doctor was joking at first when he said there was a hairline fracture. Boy did I struggle with “I am a bad mom” syndrome after that one. Everyone who asked why Lane was wearing a cast got to hear that I had broken his leg.

We have parented many babies since then and I haven’t been responsible for any more fractures. I now walk down the stairs and I don’t wear slippers. If you are considering adopting a sibling group of young children or you already have, then you are probably hurrying through your house as well. Just remember, don’t run down the stairs in slippers.

I adopted the word "retiring" from the Japanese after working for them for several years in cost accounting. They always said that their wives retired from work to stay home and raise children. I really like using the term as opposed to quitting or giving up working.

Photo Credit Julia Fuller 1994