Saturday, April 9, 2011

You HAVE to Cut Yourself Some Slack

I spent three hours tonight pretending I had NT (neurotypical) kids. The Dad and I went out to dinner with two other couples. The kids' gymnastic place had a three hour parents night out. There were 5 instructors and 18 kids. They served them pizza, did arts and crafts, and kept them busy.

My kids are not NT. GB had a hard time regulating the whole time we were gone. Hope did fine while we were gone and started raging when we picked her up. I knew before we left them that they would be better off at home. So the question becomes, why did we leave?

We left them because we needed a break. We needed couple time with other couples where we could relax and have no bigger decision then what we were having for dessert. We needed not to be therapeutic parents for three hours. Yes GB is, and will be, glued to my side for a while. Yes, Hope Wango-Tangoed her way to bed. Tomorrow will not be pretty.

But... I knew they were safe tonight... The Dad and I enjoyed our break... and most importantly, when we get up tomorrow, it will be a new day, with a fresh start, and we will be ready.

That's what's best for everybody.

4 comments:

Sarah said...

Good for you! I HAVE to have a night out scheduled at all times, even if it is a month away, just so I have something to look forward to.

autismand said...

Sounds like you really deserve some 'time off' (though do we ever actually get to relax and stop thinking about our kids?) so I'm glad you managed it!

Kelly said...

So proud of you. Glad you got a tiny little break. :)

Denise said...

I'm so glad you got out! Hoping that today was manageable...