After working about 2 months straight of overtime, my husband took the past week off from work. It was a nice change in my daily routine as the months prior, he left our home before 8:00 am and returned back home close to 9:00 pm every weekday. Our children haven't spent much time with him, other than on the weekends, but even then, our weekends have been filled with teeball games, birthday parties, and endless yard work that is on a constant cycle of repeat.
By this week, I was ready for a break. But, let's not get too crazy, I'm a mom, so I never actually get a break from life, but I was able to talk to another human during the day and that alone, was worth its weight in gold.
And with him being around, there were days when both children were fighting with each other over anything and everything or in a constant state of neediness, and he stepped in.
He not only stepped in, but, picked up our whining son when he was sad. Or our daughter when she was overtired. He scooped them up and walked with them, caressing their heads as they laid upon his shoulders. He talked sweetly in their little ears as he rocked back and forth. He acted silly with them to entice them to laugh or to get them to crack a smile.
The days where I felt like I had nothing left to give, he was my back up. A system that we never utilized before. He was there to hold my hand when tears streamed down my face, as our daughter walked out of the school for her last day. And he was there to hug her tightly and tell her how proud he was.
He was there for our usual bedtime routine of stories, lots of stories, hugs, lots of hugs, and kisses, lots of kisses. But instead of me laying with our children, it was him who our daughter held onto. She gripped his hand so tightly, as if she never wanted to let go. 90 % of the time, I had to go back up and retrieve him from the bedroom as they both peacefully fell asleep.
I relied heavily on him this past week and I was sad to see him return to work. I never realized how much of the normal day to day small things he misses when his days aren't rushed. But I was glad he was there for her big moments, as he wouldn't miss those for the world. And I know our children were happy daddy was home all day, even if it was only for a week.
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