Am I Allowed to Dread Weekends?

It's Friday!!!!!!!!!! Everyone is so excited with all their T.G.I.F. memes and big weekend plans. In my world, the students are also excited to get exams over with and move on to graduation and summer as of next week. When I was a kid, I used to love Fridays as well. They usually meant time off from responsibilities and chores. I could spend all weekend reading books, watching TV or playing video games.

That's not the case anymore. Weekends now mean soccer games, birthday parties, church retreats, dance recitals, and two full days with the kids by myself. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, but a full weekend of refereeing fights, chauffeuring them around, and trying to grab a minute for myself is exhausting. And I don't have any backup. Ken works all weekend almost every weekend. The only time he has off is for church and parts of soccer games.

I read an article this week with new research that shows that for many people, stress levels are actually lower in the office than they are at home. That's not a bad thing, though. 

“The fact that people’s stress levels go down when they are at work, I don’t think it means that they don’t like their homes or their kids,’’ said Sarah Damaske, an assistant professor of labor and employment relations at Penn State and the study’s lead author. “I think it suggests that there is something about work that is good for you. Being in the moment, focusing on a task, completing that task, socializing with your co-workers — all of these are beneficial and that’s part of what’s lowering your stress level.’’

 I have work stress and home stress, but the work stress doesn't seem to touch me as deeply. If I mess up paperwork, or miss a deadline, or even break something important it's a bad thing; but it cannot compare to the pressure I feel at home when I'm trying to raise kind, compassionate, well-rounded children who WON'T STOP ARGUING OVER A PILLOW NOBODY HAS WANTED UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE GOT IT OUT!

I know there will come a day when weekends will be less chaotic. Maybe they'll even be fun, family bonding times. We'll go out to a movie together and have fun conversations. The kids will sleep in on a Saturday and then we'll all make breakfast together. We'll read our own books on the couch, or take a hike (without me having to carry anyone). We'll have moments where we each get to do our own things and then come together and share about our adventures.

There will also be weekends after the kids are gone. I may have the whole house to myself. I won't be able to complain about dishes or laundry, or even toys on the floor, because those woes will be long gone. Ken and I might sleep in and then go out for a leisurely breakfast. Or an early 4:00 dinner (that's when the senior citizen discount kicks in, right??)

I'm not wishing away my time with the kids. I accept this part of life for what it is: busy, trying, and temporary. I know that along with the giggles, comes the fighting. Tickle fights go hand-in-hand with pillow fights (the aforementioned ones, not the fun kind). For all the times they need my help, there will come times when they will outright refuse my advice. That's all part of growing up. It's all very bittersweet.

But for right now, “Something that I used to love and now hate (and will love again someday)...is my busy weekend agenda."

This is my first foray in the world of Finish the Sentence Friday.
Hosted by: Kristi from Finding Ninee
Co-hosted by:
Allie (this week’s sentence thinker upper) of The Latchkey Mom and Kelly of Just TypiKel.

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Finish the Sentence Friday is a place where writers and bloggers are able to link up and share their version of the week's sentence prompt.