I take Tuesday night’s off. Ever since we’ve moved here (a year and a half ago), I’ve been able to fairly regularly carve out a little niche of time for myself, and lately, that time has been Tuesday nights. I generally go to the cute yarn shop in the next town, where the employees and owner put up with have befriended me, and sip a soda, knit, and chat with other customers doing the same thing. The yarn shop is open late on Tuesdays for just such a crowd. After spending an hour or so knitting, I go to my best friend’s house, where she has just finished putting her kids to bed, and we chat, giggle, snack, and knit. (She’s moving next month — I’m quite broken-hearted over it!)
Some weeks, this is the only time I really feel like I have to myself. Others, I manage to claim a little more free time while the baby is napping (did I tell you he just turned one? Sniff, sniff!) and the kids are playing quietly, or at least happily, on their own.
My husband was out of town for two weeks recently, and I didn’t get any alone time during that time. I also undertook some major household projects at the same time, so even after the kids went to sleep, I never really decompressed — I was always doing something. It caught up with me, and I’ve just been really feeling it, and haven’t felt like I’ve really been able to relax enough to matter since he got back, between a family weekend trip, illnesses, and doctor appointments.
Finally, yesterday, I decided that even prisoners get time off for good behavior. I had had too many bad days in a row, and it wasn’t good for me or the kids. And if the kids and I are all miserable, it can’t be a home that my husband wants to spend much time in! So, I asked him to take over with the kids early, and to let me escape. I ended up leaving around 2 pm, and didn’t get back until 10. I was finally able to shake that stress I’d been under.
I came back last night, feeling more refreshed and relaxed than I’ve been for weeks. This morning, I felt like a new woman! I got a good night’s sleep last night, I was creative with the kids, able to focus on the good in their behavior, and there have been no temper-tantrums on the parts of any of us today.
Even the most in-tune parent-child teams need a break from each other now and then! I think that my kids and I had too much together-time during my husband’s absence, and we were all just getting on each other’s nerves — not a good situation when the people in question are a home-schooling mama and her kids!
Do you ever need a break from your kids? How do you get the most out of it?
That’s so great that you take a weekly break! I need to get out and spend time with friends more often. I find that I get the most out of my “break” time when I don’t feel guilty for being away from my family and enjoying it.
Comment by Alison — March 19, 2010 @ 3:10 am