Solo parenting, unlike the solo drink, leaves your kids high on fizz and only you going down fast. And then a soft awake it ain’t. My wife went on a work trip for a week recently and I greedily took the opportunity for content, and to show my wares as a modern, supportive partner, and to fill in her role as head of the household. At least until my mum arrived.
This isn’t the first time I’ve soloed. Nor the first time I’ve soloed with a sick child. The boys are getting old enough now that they can do some things for themselves. My main role is negotiating peace deals over toys one child saw the other child playing with and suddenly it became the only thing in the world they wanted. If anything the sick child simplified the day; only one drop off and having carer’s leave to look after the other and sterilising everything they touched. I’m afraid I may be programming them to associate mummy being away with Glen 20
Naturally the boys missed their mummy and constantly asked when she was coming back. The day she got back they got gifts and everything was right in the world again. Life returned to normal.
During the night, the boys woke up at different time to come find her. The eldest was first. She led him back to his room and when he was asleep she came back to bed. I slept through the entire thing. Then the youngest arrived, she pulled him into bed next to her – smothering him with warmth and love. He fell asleep and then she pissed off to his room. I slept through this part too. But I did wake up to the youngest crying; he had woken up and seen that mummy was gone on a work trip and left him again.
“Mummy’s here, she’s probably in your room,” I sleepily said and hoped, “you want me to take you to mummy?” He nodded in the cute way toddlers and pre-schoolers sometimes do, by tilting their head up. Adorable.
I took his hand and led him to his room. I opened the door and mummy, with her instincts honed over six years of interrupted sleep, sat up. “There’s mummy, see? Did you want me to come in?”
He let go of my hand, walked in, and shut the door in my face.
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