It's hard being at home with the kids all week and I really look forward to spending time with my husband and having another pair of hands to help.So why do weekends so often fail to live up to my expectations? In fact, I often find them much harder and more annoying than the week.
I've given this some thought and I think the problems, in no particular order, are...
- I still have the work mentality that weekends are time off but somehow my kids missed the memo that the weekend should be a break for Mummy.
- My husband works all week so his idea of a nice relaxing weekend is to potter around at home. Staying at home all weekend is my idea of hell ... I've already been trapped there with my kids all week and I want to go out as a family.
- My husband plays soccer and needs to do work around our half renovated house. I think it's great that he plays sport and I obviously want him to work on our house, but both of these things mean that I get left by myself with the kids ... again.
- During the week the kids and I have a routine. We have activities that provide structure but those don't exist on the weekend and it makes me feel aimless.
- My subconscious associates the weekend with late nights followed by sleeping in and a slow walk up the road for a long brunch with friends. That time has passed but somehow I think that is still what I'm yearning for *sob*.
- Why, when both parents are there, is it still my job to pack the food, nappies, dummies etc etc etc?
- Kids who have day sleeps hold you back. There just aren't that many places for great outings if you have to be back in the car by noon. We used to have such brilliant times on outings with my stepsons and I think I forget that they were much older than my kids currently are.
Don't get me wrong, we do have lots of good times. As I type this my husband, stepson and son are working together on our boat, they are all having a great time and it is so cute to watch. It's just that the weekends aren't as great as I think they are going to be.
I'm sure that it will get better with time. Little kids are hard work and it's difficult to have an insanely awesome weekend when you are exhausted.
But, for now, the phrase TGIF just doesn't ring true for me at all. It's more like thank goodness it's Sunday afternoon and everything is going back to normal tomorrow!
How are the weekends in your family? Do they live up to your expectations?
SO TRUE.
ReplyDeleteExcept for the day sleeps! These are the only redeeming part of the weekend - I get an afternoon nap with two kids snuggled into me!
PS. Wow. Can I just say those numbers/letters I have to write to get my comments posted are so hard that I'm soon going to HAVE to be a robot to figure them out...
WORD. My weekends in a nutshell. Only I could never really put my finger on why I was so disappointed in the weekend - especially given all the expectations and seeming positives you listed (hubby home to help, free to get out etc. etc.).
ReplyDeleteI work Saturday's, and it's probably the most depressing point of the week - 3pm when I realise that it's time to go home and it's another entire week before I get 6hrs of "I'm an adult" time!
It's awful, isn't it. I think the fact that it feels like it should be great ... and it isn't, makes it worse!
DeleteTricky is Daddy's boy. On the weekends he wants nothing to do with me at all because OMG DAD IS HOME! It kinda suits me, because I get to potter around and get time off. Poor MG doesn't catch a break though.
ReplyDeletePrincess only wants her Daddy and Wild Man only wants me ... I love him to bits but I totally got the short straw because it is WAY more work to look after a 3 year old boy than a 1 year old girl!!
DeleteDitto. My husband works 2 weeks on, one week off and by the end of that fortnight I'm hanging for his days off and the chance to get a break myself. But by the end of his week off, when my breaks have been few and brief, and I've had to entertain a baby and a grown man, I find I'm glad he's going back to work!
ReplyDeleteOh I know! Why do husbands add to the work load not lessen it???
DeleteSo so true. Even though I'm a working Mum, weekends are often disappointing. We're all tired, but we don't want to stay home all the time either. I'm sure it'll get better (for all of us!)
ReplyDeletex
That actually might be worse ... hopefully it will get better as the kids get older *sigh*. x
DeleteYou have just explained how I feel most weekends. Actually I lost it last weekend because I was sick of being the only one who could pack a bag. I still love weekends but find it so much easier if we are out of the house. I'm just lucky that our kids will sleep in the car anytime of day.
ReplyDeletePrue x
I love the weekends too Prue. It just makes me so cross when they don't seem to love me back!
DeleteMy husband doesn't play sport anymore, but because he works all week and because when he gets home on a weeknight he dives straight in to the dinner, bath and bed routine, when the weekend comes he needs to get outside, do some yard maintenance, finish off the garden, work on his car, there are always things for him to do. So like you, I look forward to 'family time' and also to a bit of a break, but it almost ends up feeling just like a weekday! So I try and get us away for a weekend every now and then. When you're away your to do list disappears and you just enjoy each other. Love it.
ReplyDeleteAnd OMG nap time RULES MY LIFE! I have a 6 month old who naps 2-3 times a day and a 2yr old who naps at noon. I long for the day when we can go on a lunch outing without over tired children!