Monday - Best Day Of The Week?
AdventureDad | May 12I’ve recently run into some parents who apparently can’t stand their kids. Friday has now become the worst day of the week. Because one “must” actually spend time with the darn child during the weekend instead of delegating this to day care. This unfortunately seems to be a growing trend as well. Is this a sign some parents shouldn’t have kids or are there other explanations?
What puzzles me is the parents with this “Monday syndrome” usually only have one child and no special issues. Kid is healthy, not handicapped, behaves well, and causes little extra work. Still, there is this terrible anxiety of over spending a weekend together as a family.
Having a child at day care from 8-5 leaves very little time together during the week. Dinner and then an hour or so before the little one goes to bed. Throw in some business trips and client dinners and there is even less time available. I’m kind of questoning the reason to have a child if one desperately want to avoid spending time together. What’s the point?
I feel very fortunate to say that I have never met anyone like this. Nothing melts my heart more than for my daughter to ask me if we could have a “home day,” just the two of us, during the week. And sometimes, I’m able to pull it off.
Between you, me, your readers, and the dog, my wife borders on the same malady.
She loves our kids and is a wonderful mom, but if she can, she’ll take them to daycare over spending the day with them unless she’s specifically taken a day off work to do something with them.
But here’s the real question: Is this new, or is it simply something that we’re seeing now that women have a choice? I mean, prior to say, the 90s, women were expected to be with the kids all the time and we men just thought they LOVED it! Could it be that they like free time just as much as men? GASP!
That’s surprising to me actually. I guess I’m just lucky not to have run into folks like that yet. I wonder if they are from a particular socio-economic status? I’m on the lower end, so I’m wondering if these tend to be the rich folks- you know we like to blame the rich folks ;)
As a person who had a heck of a time even having a baby, it’s always frustrated me (and at times turned me into a positively pissed off wreck) to hear of parents who take their kids for granted or flat out resent them. WTF?
But after 11 years of wanting to be a mother, I adore every minute. Sure I get worn out and frustrated sometimes (especially when the little booger won’t keep his diaper on) but I wouldn’t trade it for anything! Especially WORK!
There could be more to it than that … after a full week of daycare there are expectations, whether real or perceived to have a wonderful family weekend. That everyone will love eachother all weekend because we’ve been apart during the week. That each hour of the weekend must be enjoyed to its fullest. That we must have activities! and outtings! And then when the weekend isn’t all that we hoped because life got in the way, there’s disappointment. Maybe it’s easier to just avoid the whole thing?
Weekends break up routine. And for routine oriented families that might be like throwing them into a tailspin.
Just a guess though.
And yes, it is sad. I wish we had more weekends and fewer work days.
OK - while I don’t experience panic on FRIDAY at the prospect of spending the weekend with my children, by Sunday evening, I have been known to put them to bed a little on the early side and think somewhat fondly about the nice outfit and grownup conversations I get to have on Monday.
Of course then about twenty minutes into the day on Monday, I remember all of the annoying crap that I hate about work, and start the Friday countdown.
It’s human nature to see the astroturf as being greener in the neighbor’s yard. And as much as I adore my children, forty-eight hours of constant togetherness (which includes six meals in a row where I have to repeat the same shopworn stable of phrases to get them to eat more like people than savages) can be a little bit taxing.