My partner in crime (as known as the father to my children) will be starting a new assignment for work. He will be in Malvern, PA from Sunday evening to Wednesday evening each week. This week he is gone from Monday to Thursday night. Thie travel schedule is supposed to go for the next 8 weeks. I am not holding my breath that it magically stops in 2 months. I could see it extending or periodic trips continuing after this time period.
This will be a whole new world for the kids and I. We don't know what it is like to not have Jeff home in the evenings. Sure, there is the occasional work event or late meeting, but he still manages to get home in time to put the kids down almost every single night since Ian has been born.
I know how fortunate I am. I can count on Jeff to pick Ian up from his gymnastics classes and religious school on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. We eat dinner together as a family 98% of the time. As soon as Jeff walks in the door, he takes over. Most of the time, it is very necessary with how emotionally drained I am parenting Sam. Furthermore, I've been free to plan evenings out with my friends for movies, exercise classes or dinners. It's been really nice and this is the only life I know.
No more. Now, I'll be single parenting it and putting the kids down 4 nights of the week on my own. I know I can do this. I see my good friends live this life all the time and they not only survive, but thrive in this situation. I am not scared. The kids and I will work as a team. We will probably eat out more than usual, but can you really expect me to cook a homemade meal every single night!?!?!
And, I had another thought that could be seen as a bonus to this situation. I could have a dog for 4 days before Jeff even discovered it. By the time he got back home Wednesday night, Jeff will have missed us so much, he might even overlook the 4-legged puppy peeing everywhere, barking and sleeping on his side of the bed.
Hey, we've all got to used to this new normal, right?
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