Seeking Shelter

I love my kids. They're great and I have to admit that I try to act a lot less sentimental about them than I really am. The fact is if one of them goes away for a sleep over at a friends house I notice it and I don't like it at all. There is something about us all being together that makes everything seem right with the world.

Of course Kim and I need breaks from them every now and then and this usually takes the form of a Friday night date. It's good to get away for a few hours and know that they aren't going to pop up at any moment with a major problem that needs fixing. It's also nice to get away from the noise that kids generate so easily.

But here is the problem. Other people apparently have enough money to take their kids with them on their dates. And they usually end up sitting next to me. Arrghh. I hate feeling like an ogre but all I'm asking for is a little break from the screaming and crying.

Kim and I now automatically head for the bar when we go to a restaurant. In our state no one under 21 is allowed in the bar section so that's where we go to find sanctuary. We also live in an area that prohibits smoking almost everywhere so we don't have to put up with smoke either.

I have friends and relatives who would be appalled that we would actually enter the bar area. They'll just have to get over it. I need my break.