Taking a Day off…as a Parent

Last week, I called in sick..yes to myself! and took a day off from being a Parent. Luckily, Mina was with her father that night, so childcare wasn’t an issue! I was coming down with a cough that I caught from the girls. It was time to stop and recharge. It was to be a day of tea, rest, and no work.

Can I be honest and say it was a beautiful day to be sick and to not have any commitments? Fresh air was my medicine. Alex and I took the day to visit the Botanical Gardens, enjoy the last colors of summer, and have a quiet picnic. There is something so comforting about taking time and relaxing in the park. When’s the last time, since being a parent, that you and your partner took a quiet picnic lunch in the park~ Being able to sit, to have a conversation, to just be quiet enjoying each other’s company? Neither one of us had an parental responsibilities that day or night. It is a rare occasion for us that we have a night without any of the girls. It happens maybe every 6 weeks or so. The combination of needing to rest and be quiet in conjunction with no kids laid the foundation for some nice home-y quality time. Do we go out on the town on our “days off” as a parent together? Usually, it is more about being grateful for the time we have together, on our own. It is taking time to take care of each other and support each other before the little Monster Princesses return home. No matter how your family life is organized, it is important to remember to take time out from being a parent and just be together as 2 adults. Fostering that connection is the foundation for any family dynamic whether you are a regular family or a blended, colorful one like ours.