Daddy Envy

I know it's not easy for my husband being away from home, missing us, missing his own couch and big screen TV to watch sports, home cooked meals.  Well, I wouldn't want to be away from my family for weeks at a time.  As much as they drive me cookoo for Coco Puffs sometimes, I adore my little kiddos and their Dad Extraordinaire.

But, and you knew there was a but, I can't help but be a little envious of my husbands ability to live like we did 7 years ago, before the kids came.  Do you remember what is was like to go to sleep when you wanted to?  To eat something hot?  To sit in quiet?  To walk in and out of a store without buckling and unbuckling three little wiggly bodies first? To go pee by yourself without someone with a squeaky voice and sticky fingers trying to bust in the door asking for a snack during those precious 45 seconds you're "alone"?  Nope, me either.

They are like a distant dream, a foggy remembrance of another life.  A life before kids (often referred to as B.K.)  And Dad Extraordinaire gets a 4 month parole from the lifetime sentence of parent this summer.  He gets to live the B.K. life.  Granted with some serious sacrifices but at the end of the day I am constantly reminded why I don't want to be a single mom for real.  It's hard to be a good mom when it's just you pulling 100% of the weight.  Heck, it's hard to be good mom period.

So to all you single moms and military moms and widowed moms, my hat is off to you.  I have to do this for a tiny little bit of time, you are doing it full time and I applaud you.  You're stronger than I'll ever know.  

For now, my house is going to be a bunch more messier than it was.  My hair is never going to be colored because who has the time to stand in the bathroom for 40 minutes plus a shower?  I mean really, do you know how many times I would be asked for snacks as I'm standing there in my worst clothes with hair dye dripping on my shoulders reading a magazine from five months ago that I'm reading for the first time now?  But my kids are going to be happier with a saner mom who isn't trying to be a Super Mom achieving a level of domestic perfection known only B.K.  I'm just going to love on them.... and teach them how to unload the dishwasher.