The need to escape: Get me outta here!

When your kids want to leave home, there's no stopping them. When they get old enough, they'll just pack up their things and walk straight out the front door.  At just seven, Alex already has plans to move in with his friends when he gets old enough. (Of course, he asked asked if mommy would deliver him pizza -- everyday!) (Ahh...you know I probably will, right?)

But, when they are little and they want to leave wherever they are, they'll just fuss and whine until they drive you absolutely crazy and even you'll want to leave. It is genius! I have to admit that before I had kids, I knew that one day I would be using them as an excuse. It would serve me well to get out of doing things that I didn't want to do, i.e. "Oh -- I would love to, but you know...the kids...I just can't." To date, in all honestly, I cannot say that excuse has served me enough. (To the Ninjago fans: I haven't yet reached my full potential on that excuse.) More likely, the kids really have prevented me from doing things I'd like to do. Every mom will tell you how bored, lonely, isolated, overwhelmed and tired they were at some point during child rearing. But guilt will prevent some from admitting how much they desired to escape their kids for just a little while.  (Please someone unlock that door!)

Right now, I'll do anything to keep my kids locked up with me safely -- forever. I suppose, one day, not that far away, they'll run off into the real world and a whole chorus of people will tell me "I told me so" in that nah-nah-nah-nah-nah sort of way that adults do when they fake smile and when they are acting like they are back on the school yard. I'll remember these days, as the best days of my life.

In the meantime, me and the kids get cabin fever and just can't get away often. I haven't finished the laundry from the last trip and I'm already planning the next getaway. One play date isn't over and I'll come up with a dozen more places that we absolutely must see and things we must do, you know, for the kids. Some call it wanderlust. I was diagnosed with wanderlust as a teenager and though 'treatable' (with frequent travel), it never really goes away. There is always the underlying desire to pack up and run off to find the next place to explore. My kids have it too. Serene was sick this week. After a few a days of being locked up in the house fighting a fever, she felt a little better and at just at two-years-old she grabbed her pretty pink shoes and declared she was heading for the park. She fussed and whined until the whole family packed up for the park. Its hard to argue with determination.