Being 'mom' is not always a glamorous job. There are lots of fun moments. But sometimes when 4pm rolls around, you can feel like you have been in trenches doing battle. Everyone has those days.
So a few months back, when I looked at the school calendar and saw big 'x' marks, I
literally groaned. We had just returned to our ‘normal routine’ from break and now it looked like my daughter was up for 3 ‘half days’ followed by a
4 day weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE having both my girls home with me.
But after a long break from the school routine, I was ready to get back into the swing of
things. Looking at the calendar, I could already tell that wouldn’t be
happening. To make matters worse, my husband would be traveling and out of town
for 4 days straight.
I looked longingly at my to-do list and headed off for a run
to ‘wrap my mind’ around the next few days. What in the world were we going to
do? I was positive I had used up all my ‘good ideas’ over break. Now all I
could think of was errands I had to do, classes I wanted to take at the gym,
and the cleaning that my house needed so badly.
When I got home I jumped in the shower and had an epiphany.
I thought of my husband. What did he do when I left him home alone with the
girls? Did he worry about grocery shopping, naps, and laundry? No- he had fun.
So right then and there, that’s what I made up my mind to do. I washed off the
sweat from my workout as well as the ‘guilt and obligations of motherhood’. I
emerged from the shower with a new state of mind; over the next few days we
would do things a bit differently. We would have ourselves some good
old-fashioned “Daddy Days”.
Over the days that followed, we spent our time together
eating leisurely meals- some at home and some out. We played and played and
played- we did Jump for Fun, the park, built a Barbie world, and made paper
dolls from our own photos. We had competitions to see who get the highest score
on “Just Dance”, read our favorite books and drew pictures. We painted our
nails, snuggled in bed, and went on walks. For some reason, those items on my
‘to do’ list were easily put aside. I didn’t stress about time. Sure there were
some temper tantrums and time-outs. We even took breaks from each when needed.
The highlight of our days was a trip to the Fort Worth
Science Museum. For almost three hours we just wandered around. No agenda, no
rush. The girls giggled as we built paper airplanes that couldn’t fly and
gasped at the stars in the planetarium. I didn’t worry about seeing it all;
instead I savored the things that really interested my daughters.
And when it was all said and done, I can honestly say it was
fun. I did “Daddy Days” justice and lived in the moment. For a few days we
suspended time and to-dos. We put chores and shopping on hold. I couldn’t do it
everyday, because those things do HAVE to be done. And those things are ‘mom’s
job’--that’s just the way the world works. But when I get the chance again, I
will shake off my ‘mommy hat’ and put on daddy’s instead. Because everyone
deserves to have some fun- even mom.
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This article was originally published on SouthlakeMoms.com.
"Daddy Days" is a GREAT idea! I am going to try to adopt that philosophy this week as Wyatt is on Spring break this week and we are staying home. It sounds like you had a great few days. So 4 is your witching hour? Mine is around 5...
ReplyDelete5 is my hour also! And boy, when 4:45 rolls around I count the minutes! I've been trying to do "Daddy days" also. I started thinking about that a few months ago. It's tough to do but with practice, we can! :D
ReplyDeleteOn spring break here in Texas. We went to Ft Worth yesterday. Had a great time.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know that I am not alone!
ReplyDeleteKimberly- glad you got to see Cowtown. I went to school there at TCU. Go Horned Frogs!!
:) Samantha