Everyday Highs and Lows: Overnight Fun!

2/5/13

Overnight Fun!

Last weekend, Michael and I did something we don't do very often. We called my in-laws and asked them to watch the boys - overnight.

We usually stay away from this for a few reasons.

They live an hour away, which eliminates alot of “short-notice” babysitting. Which I am sure they are happy with, because, really, who likes short-notice babysitting requests anyway?

Asking someone to watch the boys, and especially to care for Rocco’s diabetes overnight, is a big favor. Both my mom and mother-in-law stay up all night when the boys do a babysitting sleepover. Half awake and half asleep. Nighttime is the time when the day's decisions on carbs, stress and exercise seem to rise up to decide if they want make your child high, low or perfect. Things can change in an instant, so you never know when your little sleeping angel will hit a scary low. The only saving grace is that diabetes does, for the most part, follow a pattern. Usually you can trust the pattern if it has been a pretty normal day. Since my job is to be Rocco's full -time pancreas, I am tuned in to such patterns. My mom/mother-in-law aren't with him every day so they are a little less comfortable with the patterns, so they stay awake in an overnight vigil.

To be completely honest, I get scared when Rocco is not with me overnight. For all of the above reasons. Plus, it is hard to turn off my brain that swims with numbers. All day, I memorize numbers. Numbers that impact each other. Numbers that build on each other, until eventually they all come together at night. I know this seems somewhat irrational, because I really do know that our parents can and have handled the responsibility really well. But it's still hard to pass the baton. Between giving up control and having the guilt of giving them the responsibility for the numbers, we usually just bow out and stay home. We have never spoken about this, but I know that Michael feels the same way.

However, this is not fair to anyone. Michael and I occasionally need a break to invest in our marriage. We need to have fun as a couple and not just as a family. We deserve a break from the burden of parenting. Every couple does. Although, I am not sure many parents ever induldge (diabetes or not). My in-laws and mom deserve to relate to their grandkids on their own terms. Without my habits and rules. The kids also deserve a break from my oversight. They need to learn and grow from their relationship with their grandparents. It is a gift that we shouldn’t keep from them.

So, last weekend, we did a good thing in having the kids spend the night with my in-laws. Yes, my mother-in-law woke up three times in the middle of the night to check Rocco and was tired the next day. But it was worth it for everyone!

As for Michael and I, we laughed, we ate, we talked about the future and we slept! Until 11am the next morning!

When we arrived to pick up the boys, they and my in-laws were painting with watercolors! They were being so creative! I looked over and saw a puzzle that they had completed. Then I saw that the checkers and backgammon games were out. Rocco showed me that he learned to play a few notes on his uncle's left-over trombone. They were having old-fashioned, unplugged fun!