Blog: Family Vacation

[TwinDad]

Hi, I am recently separated and just felt the need to blog to those in my same shoes....so here it is:

Family Vacation

Family Vacation, what an interesting phrase for a common event. My wife and I separated yesterday May 6th. It was a very surreal experience. Up till that day we had been sleeping in the same bed, talking frequently and enjoying the time with our kids (almost 3 year old twins). The main thing leading us down the road of separation is I want to work on our marriage and when asked why she doesn’t she says “you have to want to”.

So with the sale of our house and the quitting of the Nanny at about the same time we were left with a two week period of not having any childcare. We decided that I would take them on a little vacation for a week at the beach and she would take the next week off and have them with her as she moved into her new place. Up until a couple weeks before that we were actually talking about taking a vacation as a family.

So here I am on a “Family Vacation” with a pair of almost three year olds at a nice condo on the beach. I of course love my children dearly and have no problem taking care of them, though the dynamic is quite different as a single parent on a trip. One can’t run into the store quickly. If one has to be taken to the bathroom then both need to come along, etc. None of this is a big deal…it just means things take a little longer and you need to have more patience.

The most difficult part, is not having your spouse there to enjoy the fun moments of the vacation. When the kids do something new or something silly. To have someone there to share in those experiences that has the same love for the children as you do. I must admit, I did not see this coming at all. I have never had any trouble taking care of the twins by myself and am of course enjoying spending time with the kids. What I didn’t anticipate was just how much more fun the joyous moments are when you have someone to share them with. It makes the difference between a good vacation and a great one.

It made me sad for my wife who could not be there to see the pure excitement of our kids playing by the pool for a couple of hours, or seeing an airplane museum yesterday, or something as simple as the excitement we shared as they watched E.T. for the first time tonight as we all hung out on the pull out sleeper bed.

Today I looked around and saw so many families, including extended families, enjoying their vacations and I wondered if they took for granted the extra joy of being able to enjoy the vacation as a family. Right now our family is broken and thus can’t experience the full joy of a “Family Vacation”



This whole thing is just sad to me...thanks for lending me your ear.

TwinDad