I am also fortunate to have a husband who encouraged me to use our companion fare to share with my dear friend.
As the trip grew near, the mom guilt in me started to rear its ugly head. What kind of mom and wife am I -- leaving to go on vacation just by myself??? I felt guilty for being excited to sleep in a bed alone with no agenda, no alarms, no pick-ups to be had. And then I stopped all that non-sense. Why do mom's shame themselves for taking time to care for themselves? Why do we not feel that we are a good mom unless we dedicated every waking moment to our children? I cast those thoughts aside. They were doing nothing good.
I was giving my husband time to bond with HIS daughter. While I carry a deep sense of duty to her and want to provide her with love and attention, I must remember this is not my job alone. Parenting is a partnership. If I am always there to step in and assert my mommy-role where does that leave my husband? Father's are parents too. I of all people should recognize this more. I am the ultimate daddy's girl who has benefited from a close relationship with my father. He is actually the one I turn to most when I need to talk to someone. It is true that at this current stage in life, my daughter prefers her mamma, which is all the more reason I need to make a better effort to give my husband time and space to parent his way. This vacation was a perfect chance for me to do just that.
For almost a week my friend and I stayed at my family's condo walking to town every morning for breakfast, visiting the beach and reading books. Every night we ate out, were in bed by 9 and fell asleep to ocean. While we were awake by sunrise every morning, we were rested and felt peace. And while I love my family dearly, I savored that time just for me.
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