Taking a break is not selfish
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“Good morning sir and madame – here’s your breakfast,” the waiter said, pushing the laden room service trolley into our bedroom at the smart hotel. What a treat – breakfast in bed and a lie-in — for both of us.
My husband and I recently indulged in a very rare night away in a local hotel. With four children with busier social lives than we do, it had been a bit of a logistical challenge to arrange but our brilliant babysitter stepped up to stay overnight.
It was our longest time apart from the children and the first night off together
SelfishMother.com
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since the birth of our twins who are nearly two.
Although at first there was a nagging “what have we forgotten?” feeling we quickly realised that es, we could stroll round the shops without someone tugging on a sleeve (and our heartstrings) pleading to be bought something.
I even had time to Instagram the glorious towel rainbow.
But the joy of uninterrupted conversations, make plans about the future (both immediate and more vague) and just be ourselves rather than Mummy and Daddy was utterly liberating. Of course we have our own identities
SelfishMother.com
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at work but it’s hard to separate parent from partner when we’re together. And so, we revelled in the luxury of it all. And then we paid the eye-wateringly high bill.
Clearly treats like this can’t be an everyday occurrence – and yet the break that we shared was completely revitalising. In less than 24 short hours, we came back home, eager to see the children yet all the happier for the time away. As we left the washing up for breakfast in bed to someone else at the hotel, we resolved to plan smaller mini-outings of just a few hours more
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regularly so we can retain this feeling of “us”more easily.
While the night in a luxury hotel was an indulgence, we came away thinking it had been an investment too, in our relationship with each other and as parents as the much needed break brought us not only the chance to get away, but also return to our children refreshed.
SelfishMother.com
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Olivia Vandyk - 22 Oct 15
“Good morning sir and madame – here’s your breakfast,” the waiter said, pushing the laden room service trolley into our bedroom at the smart hotel. What a treat – breakfast in bed and a lie-in — for both of us.
My husband and I recently indulged in a very rare night away in a local hotel. With four children with busier social lives than we do, it had been a bit of a logistical challenge to arrange but our brilliant babysitter stepped up to stay overnight.
It was our longest time apart from the children and the first night off together since the birth of our twins who are nearly two.
Although at first there was a nagging “what have we forgotten?” feeling we quickly realised that es, we could stroll round the shops without someone tugging on a sleeve (and our heartstrings) pleading to be bought something.
I even had time to Instagram the glorious towel rainbow.
But the joy of uninterrupted conversations, make plans about the future (both immediate and more vague) and just be ourselves rather than Mummy and Daddy was utterly liberating. Of course we have our own identities at work but it’s hard to separate parent from partner when we’re together. And so, we revelled in the luxury of it all. And then we paid the eye-wateringly high bill.
Clearly treats like this can’t be an everyday occurrence – and yet the break that we shared was completely revitalising. In less than 24 short hours, we came back home, eager to see the children yet all the happier for the time away. As we left the washing up for breakfast in bed to someone else at the hotel, we resolved to plan smaller mini-outings of just a few hours more regularly so we can retain this feeling of “us”more easily.
While the night in a luxury hotel was an indulgence, we came away thinking it had been an investment too, in our relationship with each other and as parents as the much needed break brought us not only the chance to get away, but also return to our children refreshed.
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