Yes, it is difficult to imagine your angelic children without their parents for a weekend. There may be tears and “Please don’t go,” as they attach themselves to your pant leg, but keep going. You can have your own breakdown en route to a sweet little cabin in the woods. If you have children, you deserve a get away; it is only fair to them and to you.
Some parents have a very strong reaction to the idea of leaving their children in the care of others; I am not sure if it is an insult to their parental obligations or an injustice to the role of mother or father. Please, lighten up. Don’t be afraid of judgment anyone that does is simply envious. Go with gusto.
We have a handful of friends that we trust implicitly with our children. In fact, our children love them and have a great relationship with them. Any other dynamic would be disastrous. So, lets clarify they must be safe and responsible adults.
Be sure that that you provide a schedule*, extra spending money, food, a safety plan and permission to have some fun. We have a schedule template that we use for our caregivers, we change the dates and details as needed, we have a safety pouch we leave visible, that contains a current photo of each child, medical information and a copy of their insurance cards. We also have a consent form** that allows that specific caregiver to give consent for medical treatment in our absence.
Whew…all bases covered. Go and have a good time.
