Santa Monica parents

Unlike most people that live in LA, I rarely drive.  I am fortunate enough to live 1.2 miles from where I work so I generally walk.  Lately, I have noticed a strange phenomenon.  At 8:30 in the morning, the sidewalks of Santa Monica are flooded with people jogging, walking their dogs, cleaning the sidewalks, watering the grass, and hispanic nannies pushing strollers around sometimes with multiple children sitting in them.  The past few weeks I have noticed a few less hispanic nannies and a few more men pushing strollers.  It makes me wonder whether these are stay at home dads or the people in Santa Monica have jumped on the Britney Spears bandwagon and hired men for nannies.  Either way, it’s a step in a new direction and I think it’s a good one. 

Speaking of parents in Santa Monica, my long term boyfriend is a godfather twice.  One of his god daughters lives here in Santa Monica and we were recently invited to her second birthday party in a really nice park.  She was sharing her party with another 2-year-old so needless to say the place was swarming with them.  We arrived and said hello to her parent’s and sat back to observe.  We remained at the party for less than an hour due to the fact that not one person aside from our two friends spoke to us the entire time we were there.  No one introduced themselves or even wondered who we were or why we were there.  The fact was, we didn’t have children so we didn’t belong there.  It was as if we were outcasts and couldn’t be in the “club” because we had not reproduced.  At first, I was totally insulted but then I realized that these are all stay at home moms that spend their time criticizing the other mother’s child rearing at the park.  Who wants to be in their club anyway children, or no children? 

The people who know me know that I don’t want kids.  I don’t believe it’s for everyone and I know that it’s not for me.  I have  little patience with children and I just don’t have the energy and sacrifice that it takes to be a mom.  Plus, it’s way too much money and work.  So back to the party, after being snubbed for about 30 minutes, we were ready to go, and then the birthday girl herself came over to us and wanted to hang out with us for as long as a 2-year-old can be expected to want to hang out with 12 other children with toys running around.  Then 10 minutes later we left, happily!!!