Anyone else hiding in the pantry?

 The Pantry Is My Office

We need to talk about the pantry.

Not the food in it. The pantry as a concept. As a sanctuary. As the only room in my house with a door that locks and children who haven't yet figured out how to pick it.

I have six kids. Six. Do you know what privacy looks like with six kids? It looks like standing in a 4x6 foot room surrounded by cereal boxes, breathing in the smell of stale Cheerios, whispering to yourself: just one minute. Just give me one minute.

The pantry is where I go to take a hit. And before anyone clutches their pearls — I mean a hit of silence. A deep breath. A laugh at a meme. Sometimes all three. Sometimes, on the hard days, it's where mommy's magic flowers come out too, because mama earned it and the laundry isn't going to fold itself.

Here's what I've learned in that pantry: you cannot pour from an empty cup, but you CAN hide from your children for ninety seconds while you refill it. That's not neglect. That's strategy.

My kids know. Oh, they know. They stand outside the door like tiny zombies: “Moooom. Moooom. She's in the pantry again.” And you know what? Let them talk. Mama's in a meeting. The meeting is with herself. It's the most productive meeting of my day.

So if you've ever hidden in your pantry — or your bathroom, or your car in the driveway, engine off, just sitting there — welcome home. You're not a bad mom. You're a mom with a system.

What's your hiding spot? Tell me I'm not the only one with a pantry office.