Tonight the five of us went to dinner at a neighborhood restaurant and practiced our 'out in public skills' - you know, made sure we knew how to ask for a table and communicate with wait staff. It was nice to get out of the house, and no one broke or spilled anything, so the night was a success. Other than those two outings, Eamon and I have pretty much been doing what we do every weekday: playing, eating, cleaning up, napping, and so on.
I'm sure if Brian traveled regularly for work, this would get old. And if his trip had been longer than three and a half days, I might be worn down. If we had more than one kid, it might also be hard. The fact that Eamon is a marvelously easygoing baby (almost toddler) really helps, too. So, no complaints here.
Having written all that, I really don't know how single parents do it. If I had to do all this every day with no end in sight aside from the occasional babysitter or using some sort of day care (so I could go to work to earn money to pay for said childcare), I would be exhausted. I admire anyone who can pull this off on a regular basis all on their own and still raise a good person, much less a successful one, but I know there are a lot of them out there.
Note: This entry was inspired by my viewing of the Ben Affleck movie "The Town," another Ben Affleck vehicle featuring a trashy, irresponsible single mom (see "Gone Baby Gone"). Then again it's also another Ben Affleck-directed crime drama set in a blue collar Boston neighborhood. Maybe Mr. Affleck should consider branching out a bit and film a movie on, say, Staten Island.
I have had that same thought about single parents many a time. I can't imagine how tough that must be...and the fact that there's most likely no relief on the horizon on a daily basis. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteHope Bri had fun!