Last weekend Craig and I headed to the amazing La Quinta Resort in Palm Springs. We have gone every year for the last four years and have never once taken our kids. I doubt we ever will no matter how many times people ask where our kids are and why we didn’t bring them.
In this life of parenting it seems we share everything with our children. Food is instantly more appealing if it comes off of mom’s plate. Personal space is like an urban myth. The next time I’ll shower without interruption for urgent tattling will probably be around 2026. Even my hidden super secret chocolate bars wind up being shared in the end because how can I say no to a smiling Kayla just wanting a teensy weensy piece pretty please?
Parents deserve breaks. Not because we have to get away from our kids but because they give us a chance to recharge, reconnect and come back better able to parent. It’s also nice to remember what we’re like as a couple when 80% of our brain function is not dedicated to the care and protection of our children.
I’m not sure about you, but most of our evenings as parents are spent like this:
- checking homework
- cooking dinner
- begging children to eat said dinner
- doing dishes
- cleaning 60% of the baby’s dinner off of the highchair
- bathing or showering little ones
- squeezing pajama tops over gigantic kid heads
- ensuring tiny teeth are brushed
- packing lunches
- taking part in impromptu dance parties
- refereeing “tackle the sibling” which is the evolution of a dance party
- snuggling and reading stories
- serving forgotten glasses of water
- killing random bugs only found at bedtime
- picking up toys sure to be stepped on at 5am
- kissing adorable children sleeping at odd angles
Based on my very unscientific calculations this leaves us with between -2 and 63 minutes per evening to either double date our DVR or speak to one another like (very tired) adults without having to spell out words, or face constant interruptions.
That being said, it’s amazing to think of how big a gift 48 hours of time for just the two of us is. That’s about seven weeks of quality time all packed into one weekend. Don’t we deserve that time? Doesn’t EVERYONE?
It seems so easy to get caught up in parenting and daily minutia that sometimes we forget why we chose one person over all others to take this crazy journey with and become parents together in the first place.
We lingered at breakfast, actually ate our food and enjoyed catching up with old friends. Craig played tennis while I walked the property taking in the thousands of flowers always in bloom at La Quinta.We took afternoon naps in lounge chairs, enjoyed evening drinks on the patio, and good conversation, just the two of us.
We returned home to happy children who had been completely spoiled with attention, affection and sugar by their grandparents. Blake threw a tantrum within twenty minutes of our return because I put shoes on him before he went outside. That’s right, shoes. And just like that we were back to reality.
Crazy, amazing, cuddle and look-at-me-mom filled reality. But it felt different. Just 48 hours made me far more appreciative of my husband, our marriage and our family.
I still remember the first time we went to La Quinta Resort together and agreed that while it was a beautiful place to travel as a family perhaps it should be our place. A little something kept just for us. Several years later I think it was one of our best decisions.
