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It’s Friday night. Date night! No, not with my husband of almost 11 years (although we definitely could use one), but date night with my 8-year-old son. My husband and daughter headed off to the elementary school father-daughter dance and Dylan and I decided to have a night on the town. And by town, I mean a quick drive to the next suburb.
It was refreshing not have to worry about what I was going to wear since according to Dylan, I am already “the most beautiful mom in the world.” And besides, where we were headed, I’m pretty sure that putting on “cute” jeans and some wedges qualified as dressing up.
We started at the video game store so Dylan could spend his birthday gift card on some desperately needed video games…hmmmm. I was at least proud to see him head to the pre-owned game section as he confidently informed me that he could get a better deal that way. I must be doing something right. After a successful purchase, we walked across the parking lot to Souplantation to consume as much salad as we could eat. Another proud moment as he loaded up his plate with veggies including squash, broccoli, beets and corn. Yes…I’m telling the truth. Of course, the best part of the salad buffet is the “make-it-yourself” frozen yogurt machine. As I was finishing my dinner, Dylan announced that he was ready for dessert. Since he’s a “big boy” now, I told him that he could go get his own. About a minute later, he dashed back to the table saying that the yogurt machine was overflowing onto the floor. Awesome! Sure enough, I went to inspect the damage and a poor employee was frantically trying to clean up the mess that somebody’s unattended child had made. The nerve!
We made a quick exit and headed over to my favorite store, Target. Well…it’s not really my favorite store but it is definitely my favorite place to spend money now that I’m a mom. Dylan helped me pick out the right shade of lipstick to match a new dress that I had recently purchased, we assessed the best value for toothpaste and decided which granola bars would make the best snacks. I don’t think it really mattered what we were doing, as long as we were together.
I think back to all of the effort it used to take to prepare for a Friday night out - - the make-up, the hair, the right outfit and of course, all of the self doubt. There is so much to be said about being comfortable, enjoying your loved ones and just being yourself. I’m not sure how much longer it will be “cool” for my kids to have date night with their mom so in the mean time, I’m going to soak up every minute of it. |
