A few weeks ago, a friend dropped a link in our mom text group asking if anyone wanted to take an afternoon off and see a matinee on Broadway together.
My first thoughts were: absolutely not. I have a job. It’s the most hectic time of the school year. I’m a responsible adult.
And then I realized, I have a job, it’s the most hectic time of the school year, and I’m a responsible adult. That’s exactly why I should take an afternoon off.
So I did. And I’m going to do it again real soon.
The stakes were low
My two girlfriends and I enjoyed our afternoon playing hooky on a Thursday. It wasn’t the beginning or end of the week when we’re all scrambling to catch up from the past weekend or prepare for the one ahead.
Our five kids, ranging in age from 6 to 9, were well into the groove of the school week, seemingly on autopilot. Between two of our husbands, pickup from after-school care was covered. This seemed like as good a time as any to cut out on our usual afternoon responsibilities.
An afternoon outing was refreshing
I’ve been to my fair share of “mom’s night out” or after-work happy hour meetups, but an afternoon at the theater was so much more relaxing than any of those.
One of us scored cheap enough tickets to “Chicago.” There wasn’t a big star in the lead role, but that didn’t matter. It’s a fun production that we’re all familiar with. The stakes were low.
We also weren’t trying to go all out with this activity. There wasn’t the usual struggling to hear someone in a loud bar or restaurant while one of us complained about work or yet another school spirit day we needed to plan for over $20 cocktails.
We were sitting quietly in a theater, enjoying entertainers doing what they love, and supporting the arts. The gin was cold and the piano was hot, so to speak. All we had to do was sit and enjoy the show (and some wine from the concession stand).
There’s also something about being a little naughty and doing something you wouldn’t normally be doing while day-to-day life carries on without you. It’s even better when it continues without major emergencies and without any input from mom. It’s a good reminder that other people can handle things and do them well.
We need to do this more often
On a scale of one to 10, I know our outing was very tame. Looking back, I think that’s what was so great about it.
The whole afternoon cost less than $100 and a few hours of PTO for each of us. What we gained was so much more valuable, though.
We each got a piece of the week just for ourselves, which is a rare treat for a working mom. No one was keeping an eye on Slack messages, there wasn’t a looming deadline to meet, and the snacks in our purses were for us. I can’t wait to do it again soon.
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