Bittersweet Retreat

Getting a little time away from your kids is always a bittersweet experience.

On one hand, you get to experience the incredible sweetness of being someone other than Mom for a while. You get to spend time with your friends doing adult things and having adult fun. The time away can help you reconnect with who you are and help you recharge your batteries to be an even better mom.

Maybe that is especially important for stay-at-home moms who don't have daily interaction in a world outside of kids, schools and kids' activities.

But you also have the guilt. Oh, the guilt! Motherhood just wouldn't be motherhood without all the guilt.

Now I have never been the kind of mom who thinks that everything has to be done my way. I truly have always believed that my husband can take care of things just as well and in some cases better than I can. In fact, I think it is important for the kids to have time alone with him to bond. It is important for them to learn that the people who love them can take care of them in different but equal ways.

Since we live far from our family, I also think it is great for my kids to spend alone time with my parents. They've never cried when I've left them with my parents and they've never been homesick. To them, staying with Grandma and Grandpa is just a really great part of life.

So why do I feel guilty when I go away?

I just got back to my parents' house from my trip to New York City. I had a blast there and I don't regret a minute of it. But I always feel a little down when I get back to my kids. I usually want to take them away for some private "just us" time.

I won't get that private time just yet. But I think that it is important for families to give moms a break now and then. Guilt or no guilt, it makes me appreciate my kids everyday even more.