Grandparents Fill In

Just as soon as my son returned home from his field trip, I received an opportunity to join my husband in Florida for a week to work on more moving plans. I am usually the one who stays home to "hold down the fort." I haven't joined my husband on a business trip without the kids since they were born. The last time I did, I was pregnant with my son--I enjoyed looking at things for the nursery while my husband worked, then we enjoyed nice dinners together afterward. Fifteen years later, I had a chance to join him in Florida--I was tempted, but worried about leaving everything behind. Would everything fall apart with me gone? I knew my teens were independent enough to handle it, but could my parents handle MY lifestyle with teenagers 24/7? They did it with me and my brother, but that was a long time ago and a lot has changed! I did everything I could to get everything prepared--I wanted our routine and home life to run smoothly even though I would be gone. My parents stayed in my home while I was gone--they did all of the things I normally do during the week. It was hard to give up "my post"--when you have a certain role for so long, you can't imagine someone else doing it in your place. I knew that I would miss my teens, but I also knew that they would be in very capable hands. So I did it! I went to Florida and my teens were left in the care of their grandparents for a week. I wrote down all kinds of schedules, instructions, and emergency information--I was ready for anything! When I left, it felt a little weird--kind of like running away! As the clock reached certain times that I knew were important to my teens, I thought about them. We stayed in touch by cell phone and I called often to remind my mother about things I had forgotten to write down. Once I reached the Florida state line, I was very glad that I had done this--I almost back out several times. I had a wonderful time in Florida and I made a lot of progress regarding our move. My teens did great under the care of their grandparents for a week--they even learned to be a bit more independent with me gone. Overall, I think it was a good decision. Teens and grandparents often don't have a lot in common, but they learned to get along pretty well together. For the most part, my parents let my teens be themselves--they did things the way they normally would and had only a few changes. I don't know if I could do this often or for an extended period of time, but it really went well--we may do it again sometime! :)