Monday, June 18, 2007

Monday Musings


A fellow blogger was inspired to do a "Wednesday day of wisdoms" and I loved the concept. I encourage you to visit CapCity's blog to find out more. I feel a little too goofy to copy so I shall just call it ...Monday Musings. I love theme days...also check out ThrowBack Thursday's on the World According to Cortney Gee and Ray Ray's Sun Times page. Oh and of course..Potluck Friday.

It's Monday morning and I just dropped my older son off to a 6 week live-on campus summer educational/social program at a great university in Cleveland. Yesterday was Father's Day and my younger son lives in GA with his mom. I am temporarily childless and it's a really weird feeling. I am still a father, but have no child to directly impact for a few weeks. It's rather strange to be experiencing the empty nest symptoms being so young.

Anyway here's my question: If you had several weeks of time off of being a parent (not that you could actually do it)...what would you do with yourself? A lot of people never get an opportunity to be child free once they become parents. Would you love it or hate it? What are your thoughts? I'm straight confused.

Who's up for Monday Musings query?

25 comments:

Sweet KeiKei said...

What a strange feeling that would be at this point. My daughter used to spend a lot of time with her father when she was younger but for the last 6 months or so, he been on some other ish.

But anyway...I think if I was able to spend some time childless I would like it because I could focus on all the things that, in my mind, I can't do because I have a child. I know that nothing can or should hold me back but it's difficult to work at parenting a toddler and trying to do other things as well.

I would network A LOT and maybe even start that side business I've been thinking about for so long. I would definitely use that time to recharge my batteries...

Dave J. said...

Hi DC,
I trust you and your son made the most of Father's Day before the big send off?

If I had no kid for a few weeks... mid-day lovin' would be nice, instead of having to wait until late at night.

dc_speaks said...

thanks for the comment unknown diva...I feel you on that.

Dave: yeah we had a pretty good time, I dropped him off at 6:30pm. Mid day lovin? thats all? dude, are you kidding..lol

just joking...I feel you too on that.

Shai said...

I had the opportunity 10 years ago. My daughter was 6 and she spent 5 weeks in California with her dad.

I enjoyed it immensely. I was in summer classes all summer and working. When I got home it was quiet and the way I left it for the most part.

I hung out with my girls, they lived on the same block. The times I felt good and bad was when we went took the kids places and I was childless.

The only bad part for me was my daughter did not enjoy her time there. That is another long story.

Anonymous said...

First, I would get me some sleep. My child was gone for about 5 hours yesterday with my sister and I slept for 3 of those hours! LOL

T.a.c.D said...

I don't know what i would do because i don't or haven't been blessed yet with any children of my own...but once it happens i will surely let you know!
Happy Father's Day!

Miss Snarky Pants said...

I'd party like it was 1999 or atleast, I'd swear I was going to LOL.

No seriously though--my son left the country with his dad a couple of summers ago. He was only away from me for 2 1/2 weeks and I could NOT THINK of a thing to do with myself (other than eat, sleep, work, and worry about my son)--Of course, he was only 3 1/2 years old at that time but still.

My friends all laughed at me and how I did all of this bragging and boasting about all the things I was gonna do when I didn't end up doing a daggone thing.

Little Brown Girl said...

I don't have any little crumb snatchers and not sure I want any (actually mostly sure that I don't) so I can't relate to the question but still wanted to drop by and say HAPPY MONDAY FOLKS!!! And Happy Belated Father's Day to all the Father's out there...I am proud of all of you!

@ DC...enjoy your free time, take a little trip or something to bask in the moment :-)

Peace and Blessings...

*Tanyetta* said...

I would do the happy dance and drink everyday! LOL

Ok, seriously speaking, our daughter attended 6 week summer programs from 6-11th grade. I have to be honest, my husband and I looked forward to the time away. It was a time for her to grow and for us to get our freak on in every room of the house, OOPs! sorry my alter ego just bounced out. I"m back, ok....we would always take a mini vac away just to unwind and have a fun childless weekend. We still had to work so, it wasn't like we just got wild when she left. I believe time away from your kids is a GOOD thing for everyone. We missed her and rejoiced when it was time to see her again.
Now that she's in college and has made the announcement that she's NEVER leaving home, I have to wonder if she caught the 'homesickness' bug from going away for so many summers. NOPE, she just doesn't want to pay her own way in life yet. :)

DC, enjoy your time off. Before you know it, 6 weeks will FLY by and you'll be back to Daddy duty. WHat a great feeling!

dc_speaks said...

hey peeps, thanks for the comments from parents and not yet parents alike. After writing this blog last night and posting it...the lil punk caled me and said he's having a great time. then added, I wish it was longer....&^*&^*&^%&^*&^*($%^&%#&^ him!!!!! LOL!!


welcome to the blog southern gal, I appreciate seeing a new face mixed in with some almost as new faces.

Heyyyyyyyyy everybody. It's 90 degrees in Cleveland And I hate it!

LOL

It is What It Is... said...

First time by...

Well - I'm a single mother. And I find that when my little mamma isn't w/ me, I have a hard time finding something to do w/ myself.

Most times, I'm dying for a break...but when I get it - A sister is twidling her thumbs...lol

But I've learned to make use of the "ME" time to gather myself, breath, relax and just slow down and reflect.

I don't get to do that alot when she's home (and she's rarely ever away). So that's what I do. I get to focus on ME. Which is what I long for most days...

So Anyway - Happy fathers day...and I salute and praise you for being apart of your children's lives. I wish there were more fathers out here like you.

Stay up!
Jcroft

CreoleInDC said...

My sister travels a lot when my nephew is visiting his father for the summer. She sounds like a kid. LOL!

chokkklitsoul said...

Hey DC...
I am childless every summer!! My kids go south to be with their grandparents. All year I threaten them and say stuff like ewwwww I cant wait til yall asses go to grannys for the summer, but truth is, I normally miss them after the first week and call them multiple times a day! Now that my man has given up street life, I am sure we will find some stuff to get into!!!! :wink:

Anonymous said...

I would think that absence makes the heart grow fonder. The young one's need time to get out from under and experience life on their own without the sometimes heavy hand of parental guidance. And face it, who doesn't need a break?

I would imagine that parent and child would run back into each other's arms, excited to renew acquaintence and share stories of the time away...and then to just sit together
and
be.

dc_speaks said...

hey J. Croft...thanks for droppin by and leaving your comments. You are always welcome

hey, MOnica. I wish i knew where you were so i could have gotten the prize.

what up brotha soj G. HA! maybe that will be the case with my son...im not too sure about that though.

@chokkk; I already know what you and "the curve" have in mind...lol. get yours girl!

Oh and tanyetta...6 weeks will not fly by. oh noooo. not for either of us, cause I'll be droppin by on the regular. spot check on the room and such.

Coko Mulan said...

My mom is going to experience empty nest syndrome in about 3 weeks... my younger brother goes to college... so at 37... she don't know what to do with herself.. but i'll let u know what she does...

Coko Mulan said...

oh yeah... and how about them cavs? lol!

dc_speaks said...

hye mzcoko...what up witcha? I feel for your mom.

maybe she will party like its 1999.

let's not talk about the cavs righ tnow...even though they won the Eastern Conference>>>yayyyyyyy.

ja stu sisterlock journey said...

Well my children are grown but when they were small they would go off at summer to grandparents or aunts and uncles and I would miss them bad, I would be on the phone everyday,But you all let me just share a little bit of what I am going through .I had 3 children when I was 20, 22 and 24 years so we grew up like brothers and sisters, They all got married and left home. Last year 2006, June 24 my eldest son died in a car accident, and let me tell you all my life has changed when he died his first child was 5 days old, he is 1 year old tomorrow, so you all please just pray for me to find God's graces to deal with the 1st anniversary and beyond.I am glad I spent all my time with them. I have 3 beautiful grandsons.(sorry for the epistle) but I needed to say it.

dc_speaks said...

JA STU: YOU NEVER EVER EVER HAVE TO APOLOGIZE FOR SOMETHNG THAT YOU FEEL NEEDS TO COME OUT ON MY BLOG. I CERTAINLY WILL ASK FOR GOD TO LOOK IN ON YOU AND YOURS AND GIVE YOU A LIL BIT MORE DURING YOUR CONTINUED BEREAVEMENT.

GOD'S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT. TAP INTO HIS POWER VIA THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WATCH HOW THE COMFORTER OPERATES IN YOUR LIFE.

I SEND UP PRAYERS ON YOUR BEHALF!

GOD CAN AND GOD WILL!

Veroncia Butler said...

I think I would totally hate it after a day or two. I'm a single mama, so my life pretty much revoles around my little one. My baby is only four though. So give me a few more years and ask the questions again.

plez... said...

let's see... i have a five year old daughter! so the first thing would be to go home and go to sleep. the second thing would be to sleep past 7:00am the next morning (that would be a rare treat). then i'd go downstairs and watch all of The Soprano and The Shield episodes that i have recorded on my DVR that i cannot watch when she's around. and then i'd erase all of the cartoons and animated movies (Cars, Monster House, etc.) that are clogging up precious time on my DVR unit. then i'd drive to the Waffle House in my car without my seatbelt on and order a Super Star Breakfast and eat it alone. then i'd come home and pour me a large glass of Jack Daniels and Coke in the middle of the day, because i want to...

...and then my drunk ass would miss my little SugarPlum so much that i wouldn't know what to do with myself!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, DC!

lisa q. said...

hmmm...not sure i could...the beautifuleldestdaughter is already gone...she lives a little over an hour away...the beautifulbabydaughter went to california for a week and i damn near went crazy...thank god she's not going away to college...yet! :P

dc_speaks said...

hey veroncia, plex and lisa. thanks for coming by and leaving your comments.

day 2 is going to be fun since i'll be visiting him up at the program...hahahaha

welcome to the blog veroncia...come on back anytime.

have a great night all.

KIKI said...

DC...stop stalkin yo child at camp and let him have some fun...DAMN! LOL!

I just had a week off mommy duty & it wasn't enough I tell ya! Don't get me wrong...I love my chilrun to death...but if I had 6 weeks off...OMG!...I'd party my ass off!