This is Us, and We Have Names



Does this conversation sound familiar?

 

"How are you doing, Daddy?"

"Just fine, Mommy. How are you?"

"Great Daddy, but I think we are in need of a vacation."

"Why do you think we need a vacation, Mommy?"

"Stop calling me Mommy."

 

Hi, my name is MaryBeth. Sometimes, I forget I have a real name. I also forget I like my own things. In addition to the kids' favorite: chicken strips, macaroni and cheese, and Spaghetti O's, I really like shrimp.

 

I don't get to eat shrimp because I am usually sharing a plate with a toddler.

 

There are a million and one other things I could mention I enjoy having or doing - by myself. However, I chose to have children and share the rest of my life with them! While, having two built in sidekicks has made my life better than I ever imagined...

 

I miss shrimp. Sometimes, I need shrimp so bad I could scream.

 

Pete and I took our own mini-vacation a few weekends ago. We went to a wedding in Kansas City and decided last year, when we heard about the wedding, to take the opportunity to ditch the kids for the weekend. My parents took the kids for three days and nights. While I knew I would be missing my kids while we were away, at the time I was missing my husband more.

 

I think it took us a whole 24 hours to get rid of the baby talk. Ok, we aren't huge on baby talk but you get my drift. After a few days in another town, Pete and I started to feel more like husband and wife than mommy and daddy. I cannot express to you, how good it felt to be reminded how much I love my children's father.

 

 

MaryBeth.

Pete.

I think a lot of parents, including myself, can forget the relationship we have with our partner is as important, if not more important, than the relationship we have with our kids. As my mom told me once, "Your kids grow up and they leave you." While the statement might sound a little harsh, it is the truth! We are stuck with our partners forever! When our boys go off to get educated, start their own families, or do whatever they choose to do, Pete and I will be supporting at a sweet distance.

My husband will always be in the chair next to me. We will always have dinner together. We will always fall asleep in the same bed. We will always have each other. We have to continue to take the time, when we can, to remember our relationship is important.

Trust me, when the time comes where MaryBeth is spoken more times in a day than mommy, I will be eating a ton of shrimp, with Pete.