It Has Been Awhile

Tomorrow my husband and I are going away for a night.  The operative word is GOING. I can count on one hand, minus a few fingers, how many nights we have had without children in the last almost 11 years. And NEVER have we gone anywhere to have those nights. One child is desperately uncomfortable with overnights, so even if one is fine with being away, we always have the other.  The only place that both kids feel at ease is at my parents' house, and that hasn't been an option too often in the recent past because of my parents' feeling burdened with my grandmothers' care (prior to their deaths), and then my mom's own health issues.  But now, I think we are reaching a place where the kids aren't quite as high maintenance, except for when they are fighting with one another.

I have had married friends take cruises, vacations, or just long weekends with their spouses, sans children, and I have had twinges of jealousy.  I want that, just every now and then. So we are starting with one night, and we won't be far away, but just getting out of our routine and regular obligations for one night is kind of exciting.

My children are taking this event personally, "Can't you have a good time with us around? Why do you need to leave us behind?" I tried to explain that it was so their dad and I can have at least one uninterrupted conversation for one night and be just us.  Sometimes in the day to day, you forget who you are even married to, because so many "business" transactions are taking place.  "Did you pay the cell phone bill?" "Who is taking the kids to their events tonight?" "I have a meeting, dinner is on the stove." And sometimes, after being with other people all day long, we just have no more energy to eek out a meaningful conversation or any real conversation at all.

I keep remembering an Everybody Loves Raymond episode where Raymond and Debra finally get a weekend away from their kids and all they do is pass out on the bed and sleep. At the time, I thought that was funny, and now, NOW I understand it, as only a parent can.

Truthfully, I will probably miss my munchkins, but sometimes it is good to miss people.  It reminds you how much you love having them in your life.