Shit. I'm supposed to report for jury duty tomorrow. I'm a SAHM, and I have no childcare, not even a regular babysitter. It happens that dh has the day off tomorrow(he works retail, so his days off are during the week), and I plan on going in armed with my boys' birth certificates (and possibly with my two year old, so that I can conspicuously nurse him), and explaining why I can not serve. As far as I can tell, I have no other recourse, besides being absent and facing a $250 fine. There is no way to contact the court house and talk to a *person* about jury duty. Does anyone have any experience with this situation? Will they let me off without much argument on my part, or will they take the fact that I showed up at all as proof that I can serve?

I'm in New York City, and served on a jury seven years ago, and I seem to recall being penned in a big room with hundreds of other people for several hours, and then just being selected as part of a group that was considered for a trial without having a chance to talk to anyone official.

Of course I should have worried about all this a couple weeks ago when I got the summons, but I get them pretty much yearly, and except for that one time seven years ago, I've always found out the evening before the date they set that I didn't actually have to appear, from calling the automated phone number they give you for that purpose, and I just thought that would be the case this time as well, but nope. Any advice would be muchly appreciated.

EDIT: OK, I've just read the fine print on the summons, and see the address where I have to go (in person! No letters accepted-- and if you can't get a babysitter? Too bad I guess) to get excused on account of being a caregiver. I expect I'll hear something from them about waiting to go there the very day I'm supposed to appear, but I'll bring DS, and hopefully between us we can flash my nipples at strategic moments and thoroughly discomfit the bureaucrats. It's funny how my first instinct on realizing I had to show up tomorrow was to ask the hip mamas for help. It just goes to show how good the advice and support here is, but of course, I should have read the fine print *first*. Big thank yous to those who have replied, and if anyone else wants to talk about the provisions their city or county makes for SAHMs and juty duty, please feel free.

Further Edit: I went this morning, and it turned out to be quick and easy to be excused. And if any Queens County mamas are in my boat and should come across this blog, it turned out to be perfectly OK to have waited until the day I was supposed to serve. Whew!