My wife likes to get away from the family. That’s fine with me. Gives me time to my damn self after the little one is down. Plus, couples need time apart as absence makes the heart grow fonder – to a point. Too much time and you learn how to live without a person. Too much time without breaks leads to small infractions like attempted murder if untreated for years on end.
So I enjoy our time apart as much as I enjoy our time together, however it’s made me realize how different life can be when mommy’s away. These are things that can be counted on while mommy is away for a while.
Stuff has no place until the end of the night
Coats on the floor. Shoes in the living room. Half-eaten oatmeal on his kiddie sized table. Pure visual pandemonium. Everything every mom, or organized parent, fears. The order she’s slaved so tirelessly to create in the house is left in ruin of man-scaling.
No carb is paired with another whatever it’s called
We like ramen and pizza. My little man asks for Japanese ramen like most kids ask for candy – and he asks for candy directly after ramen. I just wish I could afford it like candy, because in my feeble head it’s the closest I can get us to Japan from Austin, TX. If ramen didn’t make the cut, we like to head to Pinthouse Pizza. The atmosphere is social, the people are friendly, the drinks are good – but most importantly, the pizza is delicious. The best in Austin I’ve had in the year I’ve been here. God I love eating my way through this city.
Rocks are thrown and sticks are swung
For some reason now, our father/son habit involves immediately hiking St. Edwards Park whenever Mommy heads out of town. I swear there’s nothing more fun than throwing rocks in the creek or swinging a branch while running down a path singing the theme song to Adventure Time.
Bedtime is ehhhhhhhh
He just wanted to watch one more episode of Ninjago on Netflix – and honestly – I kinda wanted to know who was gonna be the Green Ninja myself, so I let the binge watching go one more episode deep. Hey, I would have been watching anyway, might as well let him stay up for one more.
That reminds me, something good is always watched on Netflix
There’s so much good stuff on Netflix. That’s also a part of the reason some couples even survive or fail. These days if your queues aren’t compatible, you’re not compatible. I always pick out some stuff I know my wife won’t mind I watched without her. Once Upon A Time is Shanghai and Tricked blew my minds this weekend. Yeah, total opposite ends of the spectrum, which therein lies the genius of Netflix. You should add these to your queue.
Anticipating my wife’s return
You can’t have the chance to miss what’s right under your nose every single day of your waking life. The time apart makes me think about what she’s doing and what experiences she’s having. I anticipate hearing her stories. And I get to anticipate learning what she meant when she said made a special purchase for me this weekend with the winky smiley emoji.
As with all things, balance is the key. Finding the line between separation and closeness is a part of the fun of marriage.