For a variety of reasons we've adopted a pretty hands-on/attachment parenting style around here. Even on the AP scale we are on the "extreme" end. For example, we have yet to go out on a date and leave our kids with a babysitter. It just isn't out thing. We have gone out a couple of times while they hang with our friends our my folks, but we're talking about once a year.
After 7 1/2 years of this parenting gig, we're starting to miss each other. While we'd both barely change a thing about how we've approached this life as a family, an actual proper date sounds pretty sweet to us. We carve out special time every week, but we always have one ear on the baby monitor.
Lupine has never spent a night away from me either. I attended one birth when she was almost three, but I was home before she awoke, and she really loved the idea of me "helping a baby get born" and adapted to my bedtime/nighttime absence until early morning when I crawled back into bed with her.
Last week she decided that she wanted to go with Sage to sleep over at my parents' house. They left Sunday morning, and Pete and I got not only a date night without our little people in the next room, but an entire day and night, unsupervised so to speak.
It was a little disorienting to not have them around at first, but we adjusted quickly and enjoyed our time.
After much friend-applied pressure, we decided to stay home, cook Indian food, and chill. (And yes, after a few minutes we found things to talk about besides the kids).
By morning we were part anxious for their return and part wishing for a second day. As for sleeping without our kids (something else we've rarely done since becoming parents)? There were no middle of the night trips to the bathroom, no early morning tears, no little feet patting down the hall, and no small, cold toes on my face at 2 am.
And while we can't wait to have two more sets of toes under our covers, that night's sleep was more delicious than the vindaloo.
