You often hear the phrase “I need a holiday from my holiday.”
I try not to use cliches, but after just a few days at the beach, I need a holiday from my holiday.
Unfortunately, I have a kid. So I’ll never get one.
You lose a lot of things when you have kids. (Yes, bleeding hearts, you gain a lot too – like a new perspective and a bigger heart and tons cuts on your feet from stepping on LEGO pieces – but becoming a parent forces you to shed much of your old lifestyle to accommodate your new one.) Never is this more clear than when you take go on holiday with your offspring.
What used to be equal parts bender and relaxation – a stretch of time devoted to drinking and napping, eating and swimming, staying up late and waking up late – becomes a test of endurance. A brutal battle to max out your stamina and maintain enough energy and enthusiasm to reap as much reward as possible, even as your energy and enthusiasm dwindles.
That’s not to say it’s not fun. We had a blast going away with our son for the long weekend. He had a great time playing in the sand with his honorary uncles, and the adults even managed to have a few pops and eat a few meals without a few meltdowns (he was seriously well-behaved most of the time). Overall, it was great success. But this morning, even after a decent night’s sleep in my own bed, I woke up feeling… what’s the opposite of refreshed?
So what is it about being a parent so exhausting? (Especially a parent of a go-go-go toddler who has no independent life without his Mummy and Daddy.)