Although I love being an Adventure Mom, sometimes I mourn the loss of Adventure Me—the woman who could walk out the door and head straight into the mountains without juggling snacks, diapers, extra layers, and distracted children.
When one of the kids starts whining on the trail, I’ll reminisce about how I used to move through nature in silence, at my own pace. Or how I would hike with my girlfriends while having uninterrupted conversations. Or how I’d paddle down rapids next to my husband, both of us laughing in glee.
And that’s when I call in a babysitter.
When we were pregnant with our second child, Rob asked if we could find a sitter who could come one evening each week. I readily agreed…and then procrastinated. I hesitated to spend money on a sitter if I wasn’t working or didn’t have set plans in advance, since it felt like an extravagant use of money.
Rob gently prodded again when Lyra was 3 months old. And six months old. And when I complained about not having enough time to go play alone.
Finally, a few months ago we found a woman who comes over from 5-8pm every Wednesday. I wish I’d done it four years ago.
Like many parents, time alone has become the most scarce resource—a resource I’m now very happy to purchase for $15 per hour.
During our “free evening,” Rob and I sometimes adventure together. We’ve gone for hikes, worked on our sailboat, and pack-rafted down the nearby creek. But more often than not, we split up and pursue separate hobbies: I careen down a mountain on my bike while Rob flies off a different mountain with his paraglider. Sometimes I just sit quietly next to the creek and stare at the cottonwoods.
These free evenings rekindle Adventure Me. They infuse me with a fresh supply of excitement, spaciousness, and peace, which I can then give back to my kids. Our family adventures together post-babysitter are inevitably more fun, simply because I feel more fun after my solo adventures. Plus, when I get fired up after a stellar bike ride or paddling run, it makes me want to take my kids out, too, so they can experience how awesome it is.
There you have it: my best advice to parents who want to be more patient and passionate while exploring with kiddos? Get a babysitter. 😉
