Long Weekends
Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay
Am I the only one who imagines long weekends in the middle of the school year, as a chance to rest and relax? Sleep in a bit, sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and catch up on that book you were reading? No morning rush before school, no school pickups in the afternoon getting stuck in traffic, no homework, dinner, early bedtimes. (well early-ish bedtimes because we need our quiet evenings, right?)
Well, that is never my reality. Long weekends mean; each child asking for a specific activity. Each unique, in location and companions. Usually including friends at noisy and crowded places. My youngest will wake up early no matter when he sleeps, always with his innocent smile and “the sun is here!” My older children want to go to bed later because it’s a long weekend! So, between trying to put them to bed at reasonable hour and waking up with my youngest. Coordinating activities with friends’ moms, trying to fulfill each child’s request in hopes of giving them a boost after midterms, for the rest of the semester. I try to fit in my time at the gym, that’s the one thing I give myself. In the end, I’m left tired and drained after this long weekend. No reading done, no resting and relaxing.
Two weekends ago, we had a four-day weekend. In between spending time with their brothers by milk. I managed some activities with all my boys. My daughter wasn’t able to plan anything with friends but was happy with a couple of hours of silence while her siblings were out with me.
I took my oldest to the mall by himself, something we’ve never done before. Probably because he hates shopping. I got him a new helmet for his bicycle and some other accessories he wanted. Then, we sat down at a café and had something to drink and eat and a nice chat. The next day I took my three youngest to Chuckie Cheese (my least favorite place in the world) to meet with my 3rd son’s friends, then my 4th son’s friends. That meant three hours of a loud crowded arcade with kids running around everywhere and Chucky cheese chanting with a line of kids following him like the pied piper. Throw in some greasy pizza and bad coffee. What’s not to love?
I confess it was nice to let my kids see their friends outside of school. Especially since they moved to a different school and don’t see them as much at school. (same building different curriculum/class) It was nice to see some moms I knew and meet some new moms. I’m not sure that counts as adult time when half the time we’re trying to locate our kids, and the other half were talking about them and school. I went home with three content children, which definitely made it worth the headache!
I’m glad I was able to give my kids the time they needed. I managed to go to the gym three days out of four. I went out with my husband on our weekly coffee drive. It may not have been the weekend of resting and relaxing I dreamed of, but it was nice. I know they will all grow up and be less dependent on me and I’ll get plenty of quiet weekends. Let me enjoy the busy ones while I can.