This weekend I’m trying out a different frame of mind. Instead of thinking of this past year & a half as wasted time {& us being childless}, I’m trying to appreciate my life as it is. So this weekend, I’m being thankful of all the things we do that we couldn’t necessarily do once we have children.
Things like deciding last minute to go to out to dinner at 8p on a Friday night. And being able to just get in the car & decide where on the way. {We decided El Rodeo. The quesadilla & beers were delicious!}
I appreciate being able to sleep in on a Saturday until 10a. Then lazily making scrambled eggs together. Walking the lake with a friend while the husband works on his car. Saturday afternoon movie watching on the couch or afternoon naps. Nights out with girls where you don’t have to worry about fixing dinner/diapers/bath-times before you head out.
While I’d give anything for us to be pregnant or even already have our child at this point, I’m going to focus & concentrate on being thankful for a happy, healthy relationship & enjoying being child-free {for now}.
Moms, what’s something you miss from your pre-kid days? What else should I appreciate for now?
16 replies on “Childless vs Child-free”
Be thankful you can shop alone!! It’s a pain getting in and out of dressing rooms with kids. (and forget about browsing-you better know what you want before you get there).
That’s something I hear my coworkers talk about. I’ll appreciate it on my next shopping trip!
I agree with the shopping alone. And also leaving the house without loads of crap!!!
Ha! I already carry a huge purse! I can only image once there’s kid stuff to carry. Oh my.
Enjoy not driving a minivan, having boobs that still point out instead of down, and being able to wear nice clothes without fear they’ll be puked on. I think you’re attitude is amazing 🙂
LOL at your list! Thank you Suzanne.
Honestly, I miss sleeping in the most.
I mean…I like the getting up & getting going on the weekends when there’s a lot to accomplish, but I REALLY miss those days of rolling out of the bed at 10am. Because even when the husband let’s me “sleep in,” the crashing & crying & shrieking inevitably wakes me up within 30 minutes of them getting up. After this week of craziness at work & Doug being out of town, waking up at 6am to change a diaper & make breakfast for an impatiently starving toddler was not the best way to start the weekend.
I miss that delicious feeling of knowing you crashed for 13 hours straight & it’s 10am & the sunlight is coming through & you can just lay in bed an extra 30 minutes or pick up a book if you damn well feel like it.
I love sleep. I know giving that up will be hard. Husband’s an early riser & will probably do “morning baby shifts” but yes, I can imagine like you that it won’t be the same as it is now. Promise we’ll try to let you sleep in at the beach in a couple weeks!
I miss being alone. Quiet, lazy, alone. I hardly every get that. I think an ideal vacation would be for my husband and child to leave me alone on my couch with my dvr for a full weekend. Ahhh. heaven.
I had that today since husband’s back working nights. It was nice for a while then I was ready to wake up so I could talk to someone. But I was able to watch over a week of the Oprah’s on my DVR. 😛
-I miss cooking and baking by myself. I really can’t do these things anymore.
-I also used to send cards for birthday/anniversaries and my brain can’t handle that.
-I miss feeling “cool.” I don’t know what is fashionable anymore, I just put on clothes.
-Also on the radio, I don’t have a clue about the new songs on top 40 (getting old I know). Can’t understand the lyrics and wonder why they have to use profanity? At the same time, children’s CDs can be very annoying.
-Books (I know you love a good book). They like the same ones over and over and over. I will hide that mouse book.
-I should stop here. 🙂
Oh big sis! I don’t know “cool” radio either~ Just wants on the country station. As for clothes, I tend to go for what’s on sale at the Loft or Target, so even without kids, I don’t know if I’m really in style!
I agree with everthing stated above!
But I miss running…not the 3-4 miles I get to do on my lunch hour, but the 8 plus miles I would do after work and the 15-20 miles I would do on the weekend. I am lucky on the weekends if I get a hour to run!
Kate I can’t imagine running that much! That’s also why you’ve always stayed so thin!
I really miss just being able to go and do anything anytime. Now we have to plan around nap times, fussy times (my kid is quite routine … makes planning a bit easier!). We have to be sure if we are going out to eat that it’s kid friendly. We have to pack and repack diaper bags.
I just miss the easy-going life of childless freedom 🙂
Going to the types of restaurants that don’t have high chairs.
Reading a book, and being able to put it down on the couch while you go get a glass of sweet tea…which you can also leave on the end table and not have to worry about torn pages, lost bookmarks, or spilled messes.
Having your purse all to yourself.
Not having to deep clean thrown up milk out of the back seat.
Eating as late or as early as you want and not having to still make a mean at a set meal time.
Sleep. Blissful sleep where you aren’t by default hyper aware of noises. Because even if your kid is STTN, if you hear a noise outside you will wake up and listen to see if maybe that was your kid.
Shopping alone. Because the ability to talk on your cell phone while walking around a mall…it’s freedom.
Trips to the beach, a boat, a bed and breakfast, a weekend away with out having to pack up half of your house/a million diapers/your entire pantry of snacks.
See! Look at all of us being helpful.