The little lady has just turned three.
Never ever has she experienced being home alone with daddy while mommy has
stepped out.
So when a group of enthusiastic “school mommies” planned a dinner date,
Cyndi Lauper swiftly moved in to take hold of my mind.
Happily I hummed:
“When the working day is done
Oh girls, they wanna have fun” 💃💃💃
Oh girls, they wanna have fun” 💃💃💃
Me – All peppy.
Husband – Glad & super-supportive.
Daughter – Clueless (but surely
prefers this non-cranky mother figure).
The Emotions, the build-up, oh…
!!!
Excitement – But OF COURSE !!!
An evening out.
That too only with the girls (toddler
not demanding attention = chatting freely).
That too after ages.
Phew… 😀
Planning – But OF COURSE, OF COURSE !!!
Advance notice given to hubby, so that he is in town.
And also in town means getting home early (I know certain things are unheard off… guffaws 😁) to take care of the
little one.
Exact time of pick-up meticulously decided with mommy friends living
close by.
Reminding hubby every day, about his upcoming mini evening project (lest he forget “THE DATE”).
Anxiety – But OF COURSE, OF COURSE, OF COURSE !!!
Oh no, not what you are thinking, not about leaving her at home (daddy would surely do a great job).
Aaah wait, let’s just sneak in some credit here - had set everything
that she might need for the evening 😉
You wonder, “Then, what was the Anxiety about?”
Come on!! Haven’t you heard of the very first evening date?
And here I wasn’t dating one, but an entire bunch of awesome ladies.
So shouldn’t I be anxious about what to wear??
Aaah well, the wicked heat made it very easy to decide – comfy cotton.
The Challenges
Can such an “adventurous” outing really be without challenges?
The Plot.
Clock – it’s ticking, unmoving, moving towards the designated time when
my friends will pick me up. ⏰
Hubby -Nowhere on the horizon.
Hubby’s partner in crime (read
his beloved mobile phone) - Unreachable.
Wow… what am I to do??!!
If I start dressing up in front of the little one, a meltdown cannot be
discounted.
Last thing I would want to handle now.
Neighbour helps by sending her daughter over to play with ours (they
are best friends anyways).
Aaah, that gives me some ironing time.
The plot thickens.
The intermittent sound of thunder.
Now, is it also going to pour??!!
Precaution desired - shove an umbrella into the purse.
Umpteenth phone call to an “unavailable” husband phone number.
Do I really need to express my mental state at that moment??
And then, the unapologetic no-explanation-felt-necessary call of the
cook “I am not coming in today”.
Wow… what a day to take a sudden leave!!
Do I still need to express my mental state??
Quick rummaging through the refrigerator – and I knew hubby &
daughter are taken care of.
Thunder Roll (more like a Drum Roll).
Doorbell rings.
Finally, the hubby has made his appearance.
Crucial 10
And this is how to sum up the next 10 minutes:
1) Dole out instructions to hubby who is wandering from one room to the
other.
Oh God, can’t he just stand still
for 2 minutes!!
And then he wonders why our
daughter can’t sit still for a moment!!
Genes, I say.
Ok no time to analyse genetics
now.
Take a deep breath – as if that’s
possible at this minute - be patient and somehow drill in the information into
his subconscious.
2) Attend to the phone calls from the mommy friends – who patiently agree
to wait while I get ready.
3) Getting set for the evening in record time!!
“X” Book of Records, are you
listening?
4) Finally piling into the car.
Finally deep breaths to replenish
the breathless lungs.
Wow, did I actually make it to
the date??!!
An Evening to Remember
And then starts the animated conversations.
Sound control authorities may
kindly take a break.
Oh what an evening – let me do a short & sweet summary:
Loads of laughter,
Lot of good food,
Loads of laughter,
Yummmmmm desserts (drooling in my
dreams still),
Loads of laughter,
Mini conversations,
Loads of laughter,
Photo sessions,
Loads of laughter.
Consequences & conclusions
Have always heard it is the most difficult when you separate from your
child the first time.
But it really wasn’t. I just didn’t feel any guilt or anxiety.
✓ Because I knew she was in safe hands, in entertaining company.
✓ Because I have had shopping escapades whenever we have been at my
parents’ place, with the grandparents playing doting play mates.
✓ Because I am leaving her now when she’s got used to being away from the
mommy in school.
✓ Because it was hardly for a few hours.
Smiling to myself, as I think about the evening with my lovable nutty mommy friends, I walk into the house.
And what do I see?
A supremely satisfied daddy who has had more kiddo time than gadget
time that night.
An over-excited daughter - thrilled at getting exclusive precious rare
time with daddy.
So much so that we had to listen to imaginary stories, interjected with
“Do you know the muffin man?” on repeat mode, till 1 am!!!
Me – Totally looking forward to the next mommies-only outing.
Daddy – Wishing that would not be when he has to catch a flight in a
few hours.
Daughter – Super happy to see my dinner date photos over & over
again. And am sure, looking forward to more exclusive daddy time soon.
