Nature is weird yo.
Right now, it is Saturday afternoon and the children are long ago supposed to be napping. Instead I can hear Annaliese running around squealing, no doubt climbing on the crib, making faces at her brother, who instigated all this by steadfastly refusing to fall asleep and yodeling instead.
Next Saturday, I am taking my family to Memphis and putting them ALL ON A PLANE. Then I am going to drive home and spend five days completely by myself before my sister comes for a girls' weekend.
People's reaction to this plan varies. "You'll miss them," I hear a lot. "You won't be able to stand it."
That's the nicest one... ANOTHER, who shall go NAMELESS, said, "what will people think?" and "mothers shouldn't abandon their children."
(Um..?!?!?!?)
In the last 25 months, I have spent 2 nights in Birmingham, 2 nights in Columbus on a business trip, and 2 nights with my husband in a hotel (a year apart, but adding up to 2). That's 6 nights out of well over 800 nights total, except you have to subtract the Columbus 2 because I was breastfeeding and got woken up by my boobs to pump.
So yeah, I'm going to miss them. And then I will shrug it off, because you know what? Seven days to myself sounds like sheer bliss and I am not going to spend them pining for what I have, enjoy, and love 99.9% of the time.
What IS it with people and their expectations of mothers anyhow? We put more *shit* on women in this country, about every facet of our life-- from relationships to weddings (God, the weddings) to pregnancy to birth choices to breastfeeding to parenting to... everything.
I am completely thrilled about my children leaving for a week. They'll be with K-- a parent to them in every sense of the word. They'll spend some serious time with their VT family. And they'll learn how many people love them, besides me, in this world.
As for the fact that K. will be gone on Valentine's Day? Well, no box of chocolates could say I love you like taking two kids on two planes for a whole week.
I definitely owe him big for this one.
(Squealing continues. I'm not going in until the door opens, though.)
2 comments:
You. Me. BAR.
Just want to clarify here----that person WHO SHALL BE NAMELESS was not me--- I ( and every other mother I know) fully support, understand and appreciate the need of a mother to once and awhile "take a vacation" from her children.Good for the soul, good for the psyche and absolutely good for mental health---
and good for Kagan to have the chance to be with them on his own for a week---and for his family to know them for that time---without the "filter" of their Mom.
You go ,girl!
your Mom
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