FIVE RULES FOR A QUICKIE GETAWAY
First time leaving the kids behind? Ease in with a one-night escape. Follow the guidelines below and your focus will be on each other—not on what's happening at home.
- Pick the Right Night
Try your first sleepaway on a weeknight. If you work, your kids aren't as used to your being around all day as they likely are on weekends—so you're really just missing one dinner and one breakfast. Plus, it's easier to score a nice room for a decent price midweek. - Don't Fly
When you drive, the feeling of the trip starts immediately. But don't overdo it—go somewhere within three hours. That way you'll know you could rush home if you had to. And take out the car seats, so you aren't constantly reminded of your missing passengers. - Find a Kid-Free Spot
Don't go to a property that allows children—it's a total buzzkill, and you'll just start feeling guilty that yours are under house arrest. - Create a Call Policy
You won't call to check in, and neither will the kids. It has to be a real emergency for Grandma to pick up the phone. And no, that doesn't include "Owen isn't eating his broccoli." - Bribes Are Fine
Leave the kids with a present that will take the sting out of (or even incentive) being left behind—maybe a DVD.
Ian Kerner is the coauthor of Love in the Time of Colic: The New Parents' Guide to Getting It On Again (Collins Living).
