Us Time

Being a parent means at least somewhat letting go of the idea of you as an individual or you as a couple. As a parent you have a lifetime responsibility for the person you brought into the world and the needs of that person trump yours sometimes (okay most of the time). I struggle with this concept at times. Not because I don't want to do everything for and with Jaisal, but sometimes I'm just tired or lazy and I want to not consider anyone, even myself.

I say all this realizing that I am insanely spoiled as a parent. My parents, Jaisal's grandparents, are potentially even more obsessed with the little man than Kirk and I are. While I've lived in the city on and off for the last 11 years, they've driven into the city more in the last 2 years than all prior years combined. All because they want to spend time with Jaisal. The kid is one lucky little guy to have so many people fawning over him. On top of visits and baby-sitting at our place, they happily watch Jaisal two days a week, typically at their house. Most weeks that means Kirk and I get one or two nights to ourselves.

And yet, I whine about me or us time. (Usually our "off" days are when we work longer hours to make up for shorter days when Jaisal is around or cleaning and sanitizing our house, so they're not really fun me or us time. That's a valid justification for the whining, right?)

But tomorrow Kirk and I are reinstituting our annual friends' ski trip and heading out of town on vacation. Just us and our friends. Real grown up time. Away from our home and its obligations. And, with relatively little weighing on our minds, as Jaisal is stable and Kirk's mom seems to have turned a corner as well.

It's pretty freaking exciting and we're both looking forward to it immensely. Now I'm just hoping that the fact that I haven't really exercised or skied in three years doesn't come back to haunt me. Maybe I'll sign up for a lesson just to be on the safe side....