Lessons learned from day three of road trip with toddler

1. It got easier with each day. I must have been learning something, or we must have learned to mutually accommodate each other. It was a constant that I was exhausted at the end of the day though and didn’t get much personal time.

2. I realized that I can be in charge for 24 hours a day for a few days in a row. I can do it at the sacrifice of personal time. Also, it helped that I didn’t have any household responsibilities to take care of. If I was taking care of him and responsible for normal household duties, I think I’d end up spending a lot of time distracting him so that I could get things done, and the quality of our time spent together would be significantly lower.

3. I noticed several intellectual advances this weekend (successful counting five objects, singing almost the whole ABCs, telling me I did in fact have keys (the car keys) when I said I was locked out of the house). I wonder whether this came from the intense time together and the variety of new exposures, or whether I was just noticing because I was spending more time with him.

4. When there is only one adult around, it’s especially challenging to make use of the down time (ie. nap and sleep times). With two adults, one can stay with him while the other gets some exercise, goes to the store, or does whatever they want to do that requires adult focus. With one, I’m forced to sit around and then to include him in my errands when he is awake. It’s tougher that way.

5. It’s refreshing to get away, to let the emails build up, and to not be concerned with the day to day stresses and pressures. Even if getting away includes taking care of a toddler all day. It’s nice to focus on what is important.

6. I’m glad I did this. He got out of his usual groove and I think it stretched his mind and range of experiences, even if he won’t remember anything. I will remember all the special moments with him, and I explored some new areas.

7. I’m very, very grateful for a loving husband who shares responsibilities and makes sure we both get the personal time that makes us sane.