anxiety about leaving the kids :(

Laura Zoey - posted on 08/09/2010

hey your not a freak! I wont be leaving Eric overnight in the forseeable future at all so you arent the most 'extreme' by far. but if you feel your marriage needs time away then you have to o what you have to do right? after all, your kids will grow up and move out, but your husband is the one you get to be with for the rest of your life. He needs you too! So while I wouldnt dream of leaving my kids overnight, if my husband really needed it, id have to consider it.
Best of luck on the worrying aspect! I hope your baby doesnt feel to emotional without you :)

Marcy - posted on 08/05/2010

The best advise I can give you is just ask her to call you periodically to check in. Its one night, they are obviously in great hands. Its so hard. We don't even like leaving our son for a few hours but just remember, the health of your marriage plays such an important role in the happiness of your children.

Mellissa - posted on 08/05/2010

thats pretty much what i have planned :) i know my oldest will be a BIG help, and the twins will be ok, they will probably be so exhausted from swimming in gramma's pool. the baby will probably have a hard time, but fortunatly my MIL has more patience than anyone i know (and a bit of insominia too ;)
i like the card & gift idea. my sister once took my oldest to Disney for 5 days. I packed her something to open each night she was gone :)
and i guess after a few drinks- I'll let my worries slip away & enjoy the special time with my hubby :)
i guess i just feel like some freak b/c i dont like to leave the kids. nobody i know has a hard time like me :(

Marcy - posted on 08/04/2010

Melissa-

Just go. Honestly, you are going to be a hot mess but resist the urge to call home every hour. I would ask your in laws to please check in with you at specific times and have them call you. If you happen to call and its a rough patch and one of the kiddos is crying its just going to upset you more. Is your 13 month old on regular milk and eating solids? If so, skip the bottle and try giving him/her a sippy cup instead. I would talk to the 9 year old and explain to him/her and ask him/her to help with the twin 3 year olds. Perhaps they can all sleep together that night on a blow up mattress in your in laws room. Do your in laws know that your youngest is still nursing through the night? it may be a long night but they will get through it.



Honestly, its tough. We left our son for 5 days when he was 3 years old to go to Maui. my parents watched him. he was still co sleeping with us and nursing. he did just fine and actually had a great time with them.



You can make this special for the kids as well. When we went away I bought my son a little gift. Each morning when he woke up he got to open it. it had a card from us attached to it as well. He only got to do this if he slept well and didn't cry in the morning. Okay, so its a bribe but it worked. You could do the same for the 9 year and the twins....



Good luck.