Preparing To Be Alone With My Two Littles For The Entire Summer

I spent this past summer solo parenting for 10 weeks. My husband came home for one week in July, which broke it up a little bit. It was lovely to get to see him for a week, but it didn’t change the fact that I was busy parenting two boys, a freshly three year old and a 10 month old, alone. I will say that my Mother-in-Law was an immense help and kept the boys about once per week to help save some sanity.

Rewind to the beginning of the summer. I dropped my husband off at the airport, returned to my car, and cried. Honestly, I sobbed for about twenty minutes. Dramatic? Perhaps. But he’s my best friend and helps out so much with the boys, so I knew we’d feel his absence constantly. Shortly after my sob session ended, he let me know that he had made it through security. I fastened my seatbelt and pulled up my big girl pants. I knew that I was in for an interesting summer.

Things did not get off to a smooth start. I got lost on my way out of the airport. The airport was located in my hometown, but there was a ton of construction happening for which I was not at all prepared. It was a mess. At one point I just pulled off the highway to fill up my car and breathe for a minute.

An hour after I left the airport, I was back on the correct route. I began to breathe freely again and started one of my favorite podcasts (The Nerve with Maureen Callahan). I was back in action.

Two hours and a caffeine refresh later (thanks Starbucks in the middle of a town I didn't even know the name of), I arrived at my mom’s house. I attempted to take a nap since a 4am wakeup, 5+hours of driving, and seemingly endless sobbing had left me a melted glob. I couldn’t fall asleep, so I put the boys in the car and off we went.

We arrived home about an hour and a half after I left my mom's driveway. I got everyone changed into clean diapers, turned on one of my favorite cartoons from my childhood (Little Bear), and began to strategize. Yes, others might have done this in advance. I had unfortunately been in a state of denial. So I got to work crafting a routine that I thought would keep my boys stimulated, happy, and well cared for and allow me to keep my sanity.

I have never stuck to a routine so religiously, but it ended up being the best thing for us.

It was a good summer. I had a lot of fun getting to know the little humans my boys are turning into. They are sweet, curious, full of energy, and a bit theatrical. I think they get that last one from their dad. To say that they kept me busy would be an understatement. It was such a summer of growth for me. I guess that when they say you can't grow when you're comfortable, it's true. I grew so much as a mother and as an individual this summer. I'm stronger and I know that I'm capable of so much more than I had previously thought.

I’ll write more about the details later, if nothing else but to help myself remember this summer. For now, I’ve got to get started making dinner for my 3 year old, 12 month old, and thankfully, my husband.

This was originally posted on Medium.

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