So, at the time that I am writing this, it has been almost 72 hours since Julio left on his mountain biking trip, but who's counting, right? So, that's how long I've been a temporary "single parent". So, my overall opinion on this experience is that single parenting is harder than co-parenting, but not an unbearable task. Here's a breakdown of the highs and lows.
Challenges:
- I bought a new printer Thursday evening. I tried to work on setting it up while trying to get Elan to eat dinner. Probably not wise of me to multitask.
-Elan has a mind of his own and I tend to forget that. He has likes and dislikes. Which means getting dressed in the morning on Friday morning took longer than I had planned for. I was late for work.
- When I picked him up from school on Friday afternoon, I was terribly exhausted and had little patience left. It made for a rough night, but not horrible.
- Saturday morning Elan woke up 6:00 am. Seriously? He hardly ever wakes up this early. I was not prepared to start my day at 6:00am, but I had no choice. Out of bed.
- By Saturday afternoon, Elan was good and tired, but would not take his nap. He normally naps at around 12:30, but he didn't fall asleep till 3:00! Sigh. I think this was the only time during the weekend when I thought I was going to go crazy.
- Every morning and night, Elan has asked for Julio. He obviously misses his dad. And that is enough to break my heart.
The good stuff:
- Elan ate very well before we left for school on Friday morning. It was a no fuss breakfast- my favorite kind.
- Elan helped me cook dinner on Friday night. I made my own version of these rice cakes. He helped me get all the ingredients together, but I had to make him go to the living room while I fried them up. It was a good experience while it lasted.
- On Saturday morning, we went to a joint-birthday party for 2 of Elan's classmates. He had a good time, and it gave me the opportunity to meet the other parents from his class.
- After he finally napped, we played his new game, Uno Moo, which turned out to be a lot of fun. We didn't play exactly as the instructions suggest, but close enough to where he could practice his colors, animals, and the concept of "same" and "different. It was a hit.
- After playing the game, Elan and I went to Central Market where Elan got to play, we had gelato, walked around the water in search of little fish, and we got to see the moon through some telescopes that the Austin Astronomical Society had set up since it was "Astromony Day". The group Oliver Rajamani Ensemble played in celebration of Ghandi's birthday, and I have to admit, they were pretty good. It was a very interesting mix. And Elan's behavior was superb! While there, we also walked over to Zinger's which can be any person's paradise. There's something for everyone there. We had a great night together.
-Each night, bedtime has been easy. Elan is pretty cooperative.
- Sunday morning, we packed up our breakfast and met up with Lauren and Aedan at Little Stacy Park. Elan and I had never been there, so I'm glad we got to visit another park. It was good catching up time and Elan enjoyed playing somewhere new.
- After the park, we went to H-E-B, where Elan surprised me. For background info., Elan loves the"car" shopping carts and looks forward to riding in those each time we go to the store. Last time we went, they were all being used and he broke down crying. Anyway, this time, we got one and cruised around the store like we usually do. When we were at the register, a mom arrived to the store with her twins and asked if they could use it when we were done. Knowing she would have to wait (with twins- aakk!) for our cart, I suggested to Elan we get another one and give them ours. I was very surprised at how easy it was- he just said "ok" and we made the trade. It made that mom's day and it made mine, knowing he gets it- we have to let others have their turn. :)
- Overall, Elan's behavior was good. I had some challenging moments, but they were due mostly to the fact that I forget he is little person with a mind and feelings of his own. I kept having to remind myself to respect that fact. A few deep breaths and we were able to compromise.
- The one-on-one time we have been able to spend together over the last few days has been a good bonding experience.
So, while I didn't have to deal with anything terribly challenging, I'm grateful that I normally have Julio to help me out as much as he does. It's definitely easier when we tag team it. So, I'm really looking forward to his return, which is still, oh, more than four hours away. Oh wait, I forgot, I wasn't counting.
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