Source – CC0 License
Trying to be a positive role model for your child all day every day is incredibly difficult. As we all know, we can suffer from the “all work and no play” mentality, so we need the opportunity to let our hair down on occasion. This is where a night out is not just an opportunity to escape for a few hours, but it is one of the most special occasions you can have, especially when you are with other parents going through the same thing. So what are some of the best reasons to have a night out and what are some of the rules you need to follow?
The Reasons Why You Need To Get Out
You Can Beautify Yourself
Sometimes we all need to get away from the norm, and this is why you’ve got to let your hair down, literally! You may feel that going out is incredibly anxiety-inducing because you need to get your hair just perfect, but do you need to worry about this? While there are plenty of hair care tips for naturally wavy hair and tips for those whose hair just seems to never do what they want, the fact is that if you are going on a night out you can use this as the perfect excuse to make yourself look drop-dead gorgeous, but don’t worry about getting it perfect, especially if you scrunch your hair up and hope for the best between Monday to Friday.
You Work Too Hard
When we work a long day being a parent and working a job, it is the equivalent of 2.5 full-time jobs! When you realize there are only 168 hours in a week, if you put in 14 hours a day, this is 98 hours per week, meaning that you have just over 9.5 hours for everything else. So, actually having that time to get out means that you can vent and can get away from all of your duties.
Getting Out Is Hard To Do!
Going on a night out is something completely different from actually spending time with your family. And before marriage and kids, you had plenty of hobbies and dreams, but it seems that most moms feel like they just have to give these up. You don’t have to, but for the sake of your mental health, getting a night out means you don’t have to refer to yourself in the third person and remind yourself you’ve got a real name that’s not “Moooooooooom!.”
The Rules for a Great Night Out
As much as you’d like to have a night out every week, having one every couple of months can make a big difference in terms of your identity. So, with this in mind, when you are planning a night out, try some of these things:
Do Something You Don’t Normally Do
Your time is incredibly limited, and when you spend so long cleaning, cooking, and changing diapers, you’ve got to recapture the things that you used to do all the time and took for granted before this life came along. There are so many things we can’t do when we’re on parental duties, so if you want to get back into something that you had a passion for, you need to do it! If you used to take part in a bit of singing you can go and sing some karaoke, or if you want to do something a bit more creative, you can easily head to a life drawing class– a night out doesn’t have to be you, the girls, and bottles of wine! Just make sure it’s something you’re not normally able to do.
Go to the Places You Can’t Normally Go
If you haven’t been on a night out in months (or years), no doubt there are plenty of new places that have popped up in the meantime! Take the opportunities while you can to create a lust list of restaurants you’d like to try. One of the greatest things about going on a night out is if we plan on having a few drinks, we’re going to need something to soak the alcohol up. Bonus points for mothers who are constantly on their feet all day because, no doubt, you’ve got one hell of an appetite! So you could go to one place for starters and mains and head to another place just to try out an amazing dessert! It’s your night out, so why don’t you push the boat out?
When you’re off duty for the night, you’ve got the perfect opportunity to go somewhere that’s not suitable for kids. Somewhere that has plenty of music, or if you just want an actual conversation about real things, you can head to a nice quiet bar or restaurant. By the way, don’t worry too much about the final bill; the fact is that you may worry about expenses but you don’t go on many nights out, so surely you deserve this?
Hang Out With Friends You Don’t Always See
There’s a Catch-22 with this; if you haven’t been able to hang out with friends because of your parental duties and they don’t have kids, you’ve got to ask yourself if you are going to have a good time. They may want to ask you loads of questions about the kids that you don’t really need to answer because it’s your time. Additionally, if you know other mothers with kids the same age, having the time to get out together is an amazing opportunity to compare notes and actually realize that you’re all struggling through parenthood together.
Talk About the Things You Can’t Talk About!
You may have gotten into the habit of curbing your potty mouth because the kids are around, but now is the ideal opportunity for you to start mouthing off (of course, only if you want to!) The point is that if you are so concerned with what you talk about in front of the kids when you go on a night out, it’s no-holds-barred and you can talk about almost anything you want!
Wear What You Want!
If you are going on a night out, you’re going to think about the perfect dress that you’ve not been able to wear without the worry of baby vomit going down it! Whatever you want to do, now is the perfect chance to get dolled up and head out.
Make Sure the Kids Are Happy
This is probably the most important rule of all. Because if this is your first time heading out after having a baby, your mind is constantly going to be at home. Instead, make sure that you put the stops in place to make sure that you don’t need to worry about anything. This means making sure that the kids are asleep before you even head out of the door. After all, you’ll be back before they wake up. Additionally, you need to make sure that you are in the right mindset. Having the right babysitter or making sure that you got a partner that knows exactly what to do in any situation is going to give you peace of mind. It’s your night out and if you haven’t been out in such a long time, you owe it to yourself to have an amazing time. If you spend the whole time worrying about the kids, it means you are a great mother, but you need time to yourself! So get out, enjoy, and follow some of these rules!
Speak Your Mind