Journal, 4.16: Alone Time

our stuff breaks, our jobs change, our families remain

Hello my friends,

My parents, wisely or not, never took time away from my sisters and myself when we were growing up. Originally, I thought it was because we were so well behaved and wonderful that they couldn’t quite stomach the thought of get-aways without us. YA RIGHT. It wasn’t until I began sharing this fact with a friend recently that it dawned on me the real reason for my parents lack of “alone time”. Both of them, in their early thirties, buried their mothers. Our lives were vibrantly intertwined, living just a few miles away from both set of grandparents. But what was left after my grandmas’ deaths was not only three heartbroken little girls, but two heartbroken fathers for my parents to care for.

As involved and wonderful as both of my grandpas were, leaving three little girls overnight with newly-widowed grandpas was not really an option. As capable as my own father is (having raised three daughters himself), there is something quite wonderful and comforting about a grandma for young children. I assume. I can’t really remember.

For any parent to have time away from their home and children, they have to have the right support structure in place. Someone willing and capable of loving and caring for your children, if only for a time, as you would.

So instead of solo trips to exotic places, my parents stayed put. If we went somewhere, we went there as a family - always.

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