TGIF tends to lose its luster when you become a parent. I don’t even remember the last time I went out on a Friday night that didn’t involve getting pizza with the kids. It’s not that I don’t have fun with my husband and children, it’s just different—and with three rambunctious boys at home, it can get loud and wild. In fact, lately I find myself looking forward to Mondays, when my older kids are back in school and we're all back to a routine that helps me hold onto my sanity.
Here are just five ways weekends change when you become a parent.
1. Sleeping in is not happening
3. You no longer have much "fun money"
Before kids, my husband and I spent our weekends traveling, eating in restaurants and going to movies. We worked hard during the week, so we could play hard on the weekends. Now that we have three boys who eat as much as a high school football team, our spending money has significantly diminished, and most weekend activities involve Disney movies and burgers.
4. Your social life struggles
My girlfriends and I have been trying to plan a simple weekend girls' trip for months, and it's beginning to feel like it will never happen. Life becomes much more complicated when you and your friends have kids and getting together becomes something you only talk about doing but have a much harder time ever getting around to accomplish.
5. It's no longer about you
Before kids, weekends are all about doing what you want to do. When you have kids, it becomes about what they want to do. Yes, your hands will be full, but so will your heart as you watch them grow up before your eyes. One day, they will even start sleeping in on the weekends and you may find yourself longing for the days where the first thing you saw in the morning was their eager face greeting you, ready and waiting for the next adventure.
