This past weekend my husband and I dropped off our kids at my parents’ house overnight.

We drove into Manhattan, had lunch and then strolled around Central Park for a couple of hours. Afterwards, at around 5 pm, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to see their newly renovated Greek and Roman sculpture exhibit (which I’d recommend checking out if you’re in the area). Since we didn’t have kids to worry about tiring out, we decided to stay and see the exhibit on art in Barcelona. There were a couple of wonderful Picasso’s there and we happily discovered a new artist, Picasso’s friend Ramon Casas. We were glad to have made the effort.

By the time we left the museum, it was nearly 9 pm. We drove back to our neck of the woods, got a bite to eat and went out to the movies. We didn’t get home till 2 am.

The kids were back by lunchtime the next day, but it was nice to have 24 hours to be able to do whatever we pleased without having to worry about kids getting tired or bored. I think it’s important for parents to take a break once in a while and just be an adult and do adult activities with other adults. Then, when you go back to your kids, you feel rejuvenated and have more energy to devote to them. So, don’t forget to make the effort to find a babysitter from time to time, and go out and have some fun!