Secure in the knowledge that the kids are happy and healthy, I can pursue what keeps me happy and healthy too when it’s Dad’s weekend.
I am a divorced mom and I share custody of our three children with their dad. I write often about the sadder side of shared custody: transitions, feeling like a part-time parent, and managing grief.
Today though, I am focusing on the part of shared custody divorced parents don’t talk about: the I’m-happy-to-say-goodbye-this-weekend part.
Why are we not talking about that more? My guess is because the stigma around divorce is overwhelming we’re afraid being honest about the small positive part of shared custody might add to that already-heavy load.
Stigma, schtigma. I’m talking about it. Without further ado, here are the 10 reasons I’m glad my three angels are with their dad this weekend.
10. I’m over cooking for people who have opinions: For the last week, I’ve put healthy, balanced meals on the table so my children could look at them and ask if this is what we’re having for dinner. No, this is the display dinner before I break out the burgers and fries. Of course, this is what’s for dinner! Get your face right, child, I don’t want to see or hear that you and brussels sprouts are not a thing.
9. My house is clean and will stay that way: If my children are ever lost in the woods, we will be able to find them by the trail of hair bands, chargers, and other assorted schmutz left in their wake. When my house is clean and they’re home, the tidiness doesn’t last long enough to snap a photo, let alone revel in it. I’ve learned to adjust my routine so the house is clean the day they leave. That gives me a weekend to loll about on the couch looking at neatly stacked magazines and easy-to-find remotes before Monday arrives and the hurricane hits.
8. Car pool drop offs and pick ups are the sixth circle of hell: I drove for, wait for it, 4 hoursyesterday and never left the five miles surrounding our home. I was at the same intersection five times. Each time, I had a different kid in the back. I may not drive at all this weekend, just to give the car a much-needed rest.
6. The kids miss their dad: I love my sweeties. Gabe loves my sweeties. I’m their mama and Gabe is a terrific stepfather. That doesn’t fill the daddy space in their hearts. Dad sleeps in and makes pancakes and knows all the silly viral videos they watched this week. He’s different from Mama. They need him.
5. I’m all out of words: Seriously, fresh out. I am asked to comment on sixty-four thousand things a day. Yesterday, Lottie asked me what planet I would be if I had to choose. Mostly, I love it. I want nothing more than to be fully connected and enmeshed in their busy lives. I appreciate that they want my opinion. It’s a privilege. Also, it is exhausting.
4. No more pop-quizzes: Who was the 15th president? What’s important about the Pythagorean Theorem? What’s for dinner April 23? Nope. All done. Google and Mama are tired.
3. I need to tag in my partner: This parenting gig is not for the faint of heart. Simon is pushing hard against any limit I set, which is his job as a fifteen-year-old. I’ve been the bad guy most of the week. Dad is prepped and ready to take over as the Master of No. No, you can’t meet your friends when your homework’s not done. No, you can’t finance a new phone. I’m glad to pass the No baton.
2. I miss my husband: Our life is loud and busy and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Four days a month, I connect with Gabe in the way we might if we were first-family newlyweds. Just us and the dog. We eat breakfast late and nap and stay up binge-watching totally inappropriate shows. It’s glorious, and I look forward to it. Blended family couples don’t get alone time at the start of their marriages; we have to capture it where we can.
and finally…
1. They’re still mine, and they’ll be back: I’m happy to see them go because I’m at peace with our family’s regular and predictable rhythm. I love my children and they love me.
They’re not any less mine at Dad’s. They’ll be back. Our children are happy and healthy and loved and loving, just as they would be in a first family. They simply split time differently.
I fill my reserves when the kids are with their dad, and that makes me a better mom when they come home to me.
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