I Am Planning to Run Away with My Husband

There are very few times when my husband and I have been away from our 16-year-old son who has a disability. Those times have usually been for my medical reasons (which in my opinion doesn't count). If you are a parent, I am sure you can relate.

It's very hard to find someone to watch your child in your absence. And it is so much work preparing for the absence, it's almost not worth it.

It is our 25^th wedding anniversary. And after 25 years, my husband and I are running away for 4 nights and 5 days. We are going on a music cruise. With no children…

The planning has already begun. And there is a never-ending list of things to do and prepare. We are so blessed to have our oldest son here to help, along with our 16-year old's provider. I also have family in town. They will be our backup plan if either one of them gets sick or needs help.

The only way I could ever leave my child for 5 full days would be if I knew I was totally prepared. So here are the things I have ready:

• A note describing my son’s diagnosis with an explanation of how the diagnosis affects him
• Notes for his teacher and therapists alerting them of any possible change in behaviors
• An updated and detailed medication list
• Emergency treatment letters that have copies of our insurance cards
• A letter assigning both caregivers permission to seek medical attention for my son
• Our pediatrician's name and contact information. (I notified our Pediatrician of the dates we would be gone. He is just that wonderful and if a question came up while we were away, he would be the one I would want to be contacted.)
• Our travel itinerary

I am sure it will take me a day to decompress. I am used to looking at the clock many times a day to see when the next round of seizure medication is due. But my husband and I will refresh over these 5 precious days. Days of remembering why we fell in love and celebrating these 25 years together. This is so worth it!

Here are some other ideas for self-care that you can do on a daily basis.