Time Out!

I live with many children, most of whom think they are too old for "time out", but I still have a couple that JUST get into the limit of age that will accept that.  In our years of fostering, we learned you are never too old for "time out".  Adult time out is very important to our parenting skills as well as our sanity.  There is a saying "Insanity is inherited from your kids".   That is very true, unless you take "time out".

There have been SO many times over the last sixteen years, where, we were exhausted, unable to think straight, or parent unless we had a "break" or, using the modern idiom, "time out".  We have dealt with a lot of syndromes, I call it the Alphabet syndrome because they all are called by letters.  Weird, but, that's our world sometimes.  We are dealing right this moment with a multi syndrome child who fast metabolizes her medication, and hates the part that keeps her in check, and us sane, but we learn to exist.

Is existing enough?  No.  A flat NO!  Just because you deal with a difficult child, or maybe it's three or four little children in a row that you thought were all going to be just "by the book", or it's the first baby that didn't go "according" to the book.  A child, or children can rock your life, your career, your personal relationships, and the most important of all, your intimate life with the very person who makes up your family, your spouse, or partner.  Please listen.  If you are aiming at a two partner family life, then two people need to be taking part, and discussing, sharing all aspects of that, including being close as a couple, not just as parents on the same page.

Luckily, both Rog and I are on the same page about our "time out" time.  We regularly have a date, even if it isn't far, doesn't cost much, but, a scheduled date.  We sometimes go to our hot tub, no children allowed, for a date.  Doesn't cost anything, but we get to talk, look up at the stars, see the amazing trees, the river birches that some silly landscaper once told me I should cut down because they made a lot of mess, and talk.  Remember, why we have these kids in our home, and why we love each other, and why we do what we do, as hard as it is, every day.

Don't forget where you started, with that brand new love in your heart, and end up an ember, burned out from not enough "time out".

Just saying about my crowd fund raiser.  I am running out of days.  Would appreciate if you share.  Here is the link.