Leaving Home for 5 Days

Moms, you know the drill. Leaving the family for a few days means prepping like crazy to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Before my recent 5-day trip, I created a one-pager on Canva outlining who needed to do what—my husband and 16-year-old son would take turns getting my 8-year-old daughter to and from out-of-school care and swimming class, ensuring her bag had the essentials (swimsuit, towel, shampoo, goggles). Meals needed to be prepped, lunches packed, schedules followed. I stocked the fridge, organized everything, and hoped for the best.

But what happened while I was gone?

✨ My daughter sent me a picture of a different stuffy each morning as her way of staying connected.

✨ My son stepped up in a BIG way. He made her lunch, dropped her off, took the bus across the city to coach soccer, picked her up, took her to swimming class, and then went to his own soccer practice. He even made her a snack on the go when the planned one mysteriously disappeared (thanks, Dad!).

It made me think back to when I first left for work when my son was 11. He drew a chalkboard timeline for his little sister—plane taking off, a clock, and me walking through the door—so she’d understand when I was coming home. Last year, she created a chart to track her messages to me while I was away.

They’ve always found ways to stay connected.

And while my teenager still leaves his clothes everywhere, showers at the most inconvenient times, and forgets to click ‘submit’ on assignments (cue deep sighs 😅), he’s also incredibly responsible, caring, and mature.

Parenting teens can be a rollercoaster, but moments like this remind me—we’re doing okay. ❤️