Not My People

These are my people

So...I'm dropping out of VIP Mommy and Me.  I'm not usually a quitter.  In fact, I frequently stick to things way longer than I ever should - men, drugs, the whole acting career thing - so the situation must really be bad to keep me from going back.  There's nothing wrong with the class, per se.  I've actually gotten some wonderful information, and I really do like the teacher, but the problem is that I haven't made friends with any of the other Moms.  I don't know if this is because I was late to the party and all of the cliques had already been established (the parallels to high school here are somewhat troubling, I know) or if it's just that I'm a little too quirky for this group and they don't really know what to think of me, but either way, as my dear friend Fia put it, these just aren't my people.  I would really like them to be.  I would like to wear designer clothes and to drive a new, shiny Range Rover and to own a big house in the hills, but I don't.  I shop at Forever 21, I drive an old Toyota, and I rent a small, crappy duplex in a questionable part of Hollywood; I know when I don't fit in.

Five or ten years ago, I would've stuck it out and continued to attend this class despite the fact that each week I come home feeling shitty about myself.  I don't know if it's because I'm 35 and no longer give a crap, or if it's a side effect of Motherhood, but I seem to have finally gained the wisdom to walk away from situations that aren't good for me.  Granted, the decision was made easier by the fact that we really can't afford the cost of another ten week session of this class, but I made it none the less.  I probably could've scraped the money together by scrimping and saving, but to give up date nights and manicures and HBO in order to attend a class where Noah and I don't feel welcome seems, well, ridiculous.

Given the choice, would I trade who I am for a Mercedes SUV and a Cartier Love bracelet?  No, I don't think I would.  Because for all of my faults, I happen to be a fairly cool lady.  I'm a good friend, a loving wife, and, despite all of my shortcomings, I make a decent showing as a Mommy.  I even have a pretty great collection of Mommy friends who don't think less of me because of my low bank balance and my non-designer diaper bag.  Those are my people, and I'm looking forward to having a lot more time to spend with them once I blow off this class.