A Child-Free Weekend: The Truth About What Parents Really Do

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Selfie of us, not our kids! #datenight
You know it’s date night when you end up in a picture!

Recently my husband and I had our first children-free weekend in over a year. And even that last time, they were in the room right next to us with my in-laws. This time, we were in a totally different state.

My husband bought tickets for me to see Marc Anthony in concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, a dream come true for this salsa-loving Puerto-Rican girl. We spent the night in the city while the kids stayed with my parents in New Jersey.

This was the plan for our children-free weekend.

  • This open space for boredom was purposeful. We are always on the move in our daily lives: school, errands, soccer, work, appointments. On this mini-moon, we wanted to be quiet, and truly free–no screens, no screams, no sit-down-in-defeat. Just freedom.
  • Since there are no shortage of things to do in beautiful New York, we just started by walking down a street. That took us on a lower Manhattan adventure: coffee at an ultra-trendy coffee shop, breathtaking views of the Hudson River and Brooklyn Bridge, an emotional stop at the gorgeous Ground Zero memorial, and uninterrupted hand-holding the entire time.
  • We ate at a nice restaurant with no crayons or milk spills. The concert that night was phenomenal and I was in my Latin-girl glory.
  • Our plans for the next morning were supposed to include: waking up late, enjoying breakfast, and walking the Brooklyn Bridge. However…We woke up at 7 a.m., looked at each other, my husband says, “I miss the boys!” and we were on the road by 8 a.m.
  • Deep down, I fully expected this. Mornings are my favorite time with my children. We wake up, drink coffee while the boys eat their halves of a banana, and just skulk around in our PJs for as long as we possibly can. So, as soon as we woke up, we wanted to be with our little monkeys.

Truth is, I had the most amazing weekend. I don’t regret leaving early to be with our kids one bit.

A night away makes you realize that a world without kids might be your oyster, but your children are your pearls. We thoroughly enjoyed our freedom, but life without our little monkeys was too quiet and boring. I missed the chaos, “Mommy’s,” and belly laughs. The nostalgia faded within 10 minutes of our reunion, but it was fun while it lasted!