Reading through some parenting articles the other day I came across an idea that was totally foreign to me – moms taking vacations all by themselves.
I grew up in a world where family vacations were the norm, married into a world where no vacations were the norm, and then remarried into a world where both family vacations and couples getaways were the way to go. Out of the three I find my current lifestyle the most satisfying. The idea of going away for a vacation all alone is horrifying and intriguing at the same time.
There is a part of me that gets immediately guilty for just thinking about a Mom-cation. There is another (probably very wicked) part of me that imagines lying on the beach without worrying if my children are caught in an undertow, going to sleep at sundown and getting up just before noon, and an entire week of not talking, solving problems, or answering questions. Seven days of doing exactly what I want without regard for anyone else. 168 hours of having someone cook, clean, and pick up after me.
I love my husband and my kids, really I do, but I am a person who needs solitude once in a while. No matter what the size of your property, when you have a large family, solitude is hard to come by. I don’t think I have had an afternoon of actual solitude since before 2002.
I don’t know if I could ever actually do it, but the idea of a week-long cruise all by myself, with room service is the stuff that fantasies are made of.
Would you do it? If so what would be your dream Mom-cation?
photo credit: Rennett Stowe
