The last couple of months have caused a shift in priorities around the Scheibner house. Instead of our usual “Parent-Centered: You kids are welcome members of the team,” approach to life, suddenly everything has become child-centered. Between baseball season, swim meets, prom, graduation, senior banquets, middle school plays, choir performances, and the usual myriad of end-of-school parties, I been more chauffaer than trainer; less discipler than mobile mommy ATM. Craziness has invaded our home and my Daytimer has become my master.
All this busyness has made my hubby and I feel like two 767s passing in the sky….
Which is why I was so excited when my husband announced that he was whisking me away for an overnight. And, not just any overnight! A quick trip to Baltimore to see my beloved Boston Red Sox.
Usually, going away unexpectedly throws me into a tailspin. This time, however, I was so excited for some “Me and Him” time, that nothing seemed too complicated in order to make it work. I checked the calendar, arranged the necessary rides and pick-ups, and broke the news to my kids.
Those kids are so predictable. Like always, the chorus began, “Can’t we go with you?” “But we’ll miss you!” “You’re leaving us??” Fortunately, 26 years of parenting had prepared me for just such a moment. With a smile on my face, I silenced their objections with our usual response: “We love you too much to take you along. That’s why we’re leaving you!” They get it…Years of being Scheibner’s has taught them that their dad and I love them and that is why we work so hard on our marriage relationship. They know that the better we’re doing…they better they’re doing, and sometimes, doing better means getting away.
So, I bought the Big Three to get them through the 36 hours we would be gone. You know: snacks, trash bags, and toilet paper. The snacks make separation sweeter for them…the trash bags make coming home better for me… and the toilet paper, well, that’s self-explanatory.
We prayed, kissed, and hugged, then off we drove to our adventure.
I should have known things weren’t going as smoothly as I thought when we received the automated call from the airline telling us that our flight was delayed. However, the skies were clear and I was confident. Nothing was going to interfere with our romantic getaway!
I was wrong.
When we went through the door of the airport, the departing flight board was lit up like a jungle of red stop lights. Delayed, cancelled, postponed…storms were rolling in and nothing was leaving the airport. We shuffled from gate to gate and airline to airline, hoping upon hope that SOMEHOW we’d find a way to Baltimore.
We didn’t.
Back to the car we went our perfect, behind the dugout seats destined to stand empty. What a sad ride home. When we got there I consoled myself the best way I could…
I ate 3 cinnamon bread sticks
and
I ate half a bag of cheese curls
and
I ate a handful of M&Ms
and
I stole some of my daughter’s chocolate truffle cake (Sorry Baleigh!)
and
I drank an iced coffee (with fat-free half and half…I’m watching my fat intake, you know)
I’ve always handled disappointment well…
That night I went to bed bloated, sugared-up, and disappointed. Also, I went to bed convinced that getting away was JUST TOO MUCH WORK! I laid in bed rehearsing how I would convince my husband that we should just forget about it and stay home.
Thankfully, my husband has more fortitude than I do! The next morning he prodded me out of bed, (my sugar coma wasn’t helping) we prayed, hugged, and kissed the kids one more time, and off to the airport we went. The flights went smoothly, the rental car was waiting, our hotel was lovely, and soon, we were enjoying that much needed one-on-one time.
We laughed, we window-shopped, we ate cinnamon pretzels and drippy roast beef sandwiches. But most of all, we remembered how to be something more than just mom and dad; we re-established our “Sweetheart” status and rejuvenated our relationship.
We came home ready to be better parents because we’d spent time being best friends. Time away was good for us and great for our kids. Nothing makes them happier and more secure than seeing how important their dad and I are to each other.
Was it worth the effort? Absolutely! Moms, don’t hesitate! When your husband says, “Let’s get away,” run, don’t walk to the closet for your suitcase. You’ll benefit, your kids will benefit, the relationships in your home will thrive.
Oh, by the way, the Red Sox lost…but that’s okay, I still felt like a winner!
Megan Scheibner 