Home Alone: A Single Mom’s Version 

The best part of having the kids away - whether for a few hours, a weekend, or an entire week - is the opportunity to stay home by myself.

The television stays off for days. The woman who adores music usually leaves it off. Instead, I can hear the neighbor’s wind chimes through the window, hear the whirring of my own window fan bringing in fresh air from outside.
 
I get to live according to my own whims and desires - free from the responsibility of setting an example, of playing chief concierge and meal planner. I eat when I’m hungry, take naps when I’m tired. No one has to know that I was curled up reading at 2 pm when I should have been cleaning the house, or did dishes at midnight instead of sleeping.

No one cares if I head out at 9 pm for a quick bite at a local cafe, or ate gelato before dinner. And that’s just fine with me! Do I miss my kids when they’re gone? Absolutely. But I also need and crave down time, and know to take every opportunity to put myself first when it’s presented. More importantly, they learn that Dad’s a responsible and caring parent as well, and that Mom’s a person in her own right. So if you’ll excuse me - I have to go bask in my aloneness a bit more…