Traveling Solo: Will the Kids Survive?

I started prepping early last week for my upcoming trip.  I’m leaving for a 6 day trip to New York this upcoming week and it generally takes a week to get myself prepared to leave and get the kids lined up with all their needs met.  I don’t travel without them often but when I do, I spend almost as much time fretting about my kids as I do enjoying the experience.  One would think that I would be excited for some much needed adult intervention and could feel good about the whole scenario.  However, leaving my kids behind simply takes a lot out of me.

I spend the entire week washing clothes, preparing lunch, stocking the fridge with dinner and planning for the unexpected.  Have you ever tried to plan for the unknowing?  The kids will be under the watchful eye of my mother and their father.  In most cases, that’s a suitable situation.  However, the guilt I feel for leaving them simply overrides my ability to just sit back and enjoy my time learning new skills.

My oldest son has control of any assignments that he has on a regular basis.  But, lo and behold, his first project of the year is due while I’m gone.  Nice!  Surely my husband, a responsible adult, can handle supervising this little slice of life.  My six-year-old still has serious issues with his afternoon routine and we are struggling with his food, his behavior surrounding homework and his overall bad attitude.  I have managed to get into a routine with him and now I’m going to upset what we’ve worked so hard to wrangle.  How’s that for mommy guilt for you?

So, what’s so important that I’m willing to risk complete chaos with my kids?  I’m going to a Social Media conference.  That might not sound like much to you but since that’s how I supplement our family income, this is a big deal and hopefully the payoff is worth it.  I’m also going to be attending Education Nation which in and of itself is clearly for the benefit of my children.  But, at six and eight, I’m not sure they truly understand that my absence is a necessary evil.

I’m ready to take my career to the next level, to hone my networking skills, to reach out to leaders in education who can see that my children get the best education possible.  That, that is why I’m willing to take a risk with my carefully constructed routine at home; the betterment of my entire family is always number one on my list of priorities.