Our Kids' Social Lives - I am Not Julie from Loveboat

[AndyLand]

It's Saturday. I actually experience anxiety sometimes before the weekends because I know I'm going to get requests and texts from parents of friends of my kids to get them together for a million and one reasons. I miss the old days a little bit where kids were friends with whoever was in their neighborhood and they just went back and forth, arranged their own sleepovers with parental permission, and went. But these days it's all so intensely supervised and with my kids being online-schooled their friends are all over town so it's up to me primarily (hubby does do transportation sometimes) to make the plans with other parents. I know it's not just our choice of home-school because all the other moms/dads I know with kids in public school have the same demands on their time too.

So I told my kids this week, after a CRAZY weekend last weekend with one kid there, another guest kid here, parties, dropoffs, pickups and gift buying, that today is mom's day off. I'm going to see a musical, with another grown-up, and when I return I will enjoy a quiet glass of red wine and maybe some sea salt dark chocolate. There will be no organized play dates, sleepovers or rides anywhere. Aaaahhhhh, paradise.

I probably feel the need to escape a little more than other moms with a 10 & 12 year old since I'm with them 24/7 which is why I usually go along with the socializing plans but then I'm so tired out from making it all happen I have no energy left to have any fun myself. Am I alone in this?! Do any other parents feel like a highly evolved, kid protection version of a taxi/valet service? I have a feeling I'm not.

[AndyLand]

Taking that break was so awesome by the way. Parents take your me time! It makes you a better parent. Also wanted to add I'm very grateful my kids have friends. It just gets overwhelming sometimes juggling a boy and a girl and all of their friends and friends' parents.