Mom and Dad Need A Vacation Too!

I know you have heard it all too often, Mom and Dad need to take time for themselves and their relationship from time to time.  The truth is though, we all get so busy being “Mom and Dad” we sometimes forget how to be “Husband and Wife”.  I’m sure everyone has experienced that awkward silence when we have nothing else to talk about except the kids! 

Within the past five years my husband and I always made time for a monthly date night in our relationship.  Actually, we forced it!  We joined a bowling league with my sister-in-law and her husband so that we were guaranteed one night out a month.  This monthly night always includes dinner and then bowling; it is a perfect opportunity to get away.  We also now have about 3 different couples we like to go out with, so we normally try and go out with one of them also once a month.

At the beginning of this year, we were looking at goals and one that I had that kept getting pushed off was for my husband and I to take a mini vacation, just the two of us.  Beside an overnight for a wedding or the kids spending the night at their grandparents, we have not taken a vacation, just the two of us, for NINE years!  Yes NINE years, this happen to coincide with right before I became pregnant with our first son.  Well, our kids are now 8, 5, and 2, I was out of excuses, and it was time to just book that vacation!

We had always intended on taking a really nice trip on our 10^th wedding anniversary, however that snuck up on us one month after our 3^rd child was born!  So we decided, we were finally taking our 10^th anniversary trip on our 12^th anniversary.  She would be 2 by then and we had willing grandparents to watch our children.  Once again, no excuses!  It was decided, we booked a vacation at an all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, and it would be our first vacation without kids since kids!

Thoughts of spending days on the beach and at the pool laying in the sun, eating fancy dinners with only adults, sleeping in until we wanted too, quiet alone time, was all so appealing to us.  We were so excited and could not wait until the day our plane took off to our sunny destination.  Then the week before hit us like a rock, my husband suddenly had a horrible ear infection and then my daughter had one!  Was this meant to be?  I was a nervous wreck (to say the least) the day before we left!

In the end, we got on that plane and had the best 4 days of our married life.  I am so glad we took that giant leap and the next time it will be easier.  The kids were just fine; they actually had a blast with all the activities their grandparents had planned for them.  They kept them a lot busier than we would ever had!  My husband and I spent days floating in tropical pools, had our toes in the sand, and enjoyed wonderful food just the two of us.  We are so glad we took this trip and we are going to make a yearly trip for just the two of us a priority.  It does not have to be as extravagant as this one, but definitely at least three days away a year to reconnect and just be us again!

If you are having doubts about taking a trip and are out of excuses, take my advice and book it now!  It only has to be a few nights, but it will be a wonderful rejuvenation to you and your marriage.  You need it, your spouse needs it, and your family needs it.  In the end it will make you a better parent to your kids.  The best part was definitely seeing the huge smiles and great big hugs we got from our kids when we walked back in the door at the end of our trip.  They were so glad to see us and could not wait to tell us about their adventures with Grandma and Grandpa!