Going out for a night on the town is thrown out the window the minute you have kids. This includes dinners, movies, game nights, concerts, you name it. We know a few families with kids that are able to stay up later, but our two sons are early birds, just like me.
We don’t get to see people as often since we had our children, so when a formal invitation comes along, it’s a kick in the butt to get us out of the house and reconnect with the outside world. My husband’s first reaction is always to bring the kids along since evenings and weekends are the only quality time he gets to spend with them; plus, a babysitter isn’t always available. In a perfect world, we’d take the kids with us, but we also know the challenges that brings along. On top of it all, I’m breastfeeding and wearing a formal dress isn’t the best idea…
Needless to say, we’d rather stay home most of the time, but this weekend we had an event that was too important to pass up. The time spent with our family and friends was well worth it, but with the late night fresh on our minds, here is a list of reasons why keeping the kids out late can be tough on us parents.
• Our toddler was overstimulated from the excitement of the event, the dancing, the extra dessert and staying up hours past his bedtime. He was less willing than normal to go to sleep, but also woke up in the middle of the night wet, disoriented, scared, and unable to fall back to sleep.
• Our newborn’s feeding and sleep schedule were thrown off, so he woke up more than usual with wet diapers and wanting to feed to sleep, meaning we were up 2 extra times. An extra bonus: painful, engorged breasts from not pumping while bottle feeding baby at the event.
• Baby hangover - Neither of us drink, so my husband joked, “Who needs a hangover when you and your babies haven’t slept?” The morning after and the entire rest of the day was not fun for any of us. Even though we cleared our schedule ahead of time, everyone was fussy and grumpy!
Sometimes the event is worth it, but other times, the extra hours of sleep feels more important. Being mentally prepared for the aftermath will help you remember that the consequences of your wild night out with the kids, like snapping at your spouse and the hazy memory of the past 24 hours, are only temporary.
