Submitted by hannah on Tue, 14/10/2014 - 18:39
As I type, Anneke is sleeping, wrapped on my chest. I am never away from her. It will probably be many months before I go out without her at all, even for just a few hours. In the 5 years we've been parents, we've never left our children overnight. One or both of us has been with them each night, and the only time I've been away is when I'm in the hospital giving birth to the next sibling. We have friends who have gone away for romantic weekends or even on holiday for a week or two, leaving the kids with relatives or close friends. I'm happy for them that they coiuld take the time and recharge, but I honestly couldn't even imagine doing that until our kids are much older. I don't think I'd be able to relax and enjoy it. Even just dates have been rare since becoming parents- at least completely child-free ones.