Life as a DINK

Back in the 1980’s the phrase DINK (Double Income No Kids) was coined. I didn’t pay much attention because I was in high school and if it didn’t concern Amy Grant or what I was doing that weekend, I really wasn’t interested. But the acronym entered my vocabulary this week when Sean and I went out to dinner on Tuesday night. He said, “Hey, we’re living like DINKs this week.”

Well, actually, we’re living like SINKs (Single Income No Kids). For the past week, we’ve been living without our offspring. Michael and Amy are busy at work on their mission trips and Rebecca is having a great time flitting between my Mom’s, Sean’s Mom’s and Sean’s sister’s houses. So for a week I’ve been living the life I occasionally dream of.

Tuesday we went to dinner and paid less than $20! I can’t remember the last time we went out with the kids and paid under $30. Three nights in a row we watched a movie from Blockbuster. One we even watched at 4 on Sunday afternoon (after Sean’s nap, of course). This weekend we have theater tickets for Saturday evening and concert tickets for Sunday night! I can hardly contain myself.

Of course, my mind is nearly consumed with thoughts of my little ones. I hope Rebecca is having fun and keeping up with her glasses. I hope Michael and Amy aren’t too hot in Central America. I pray for their safety a zillion times a day. But I don’t find myself pining away for them. In fact, I’m enjoying myself quite a bit, thank you very much.

I mentioned my enjoyment of this temporary freedom from parenthood to an acquaintance and from the look she gave me you’d have thought I’d said, “Wow, I am so glad to have them gone. I hope they never come back!”

I didn’t realize it was improper to enjoy time away from my children…

Anyway, I am enjoying not cooking much and not making anyone’s lunch but my own. I’ve only done four loads of laundry this entire week, and I probably won’t do another load until this weekend. After doing, on average, 15 loads a week, this feels like a real break. And I’m staying up later than usual and sleeping in a bit. I certainly don’t get to do that when the kids are home.

I could get used to this. I’m sort-of like a kept woman. Well, without the jewelry and Mercedes and top-floor penthouse. Or the adultery.

Anyway, Rebecca will be home next week and my life of relative luxury will be over. I’m trying to enjoy every minute until then, which is why I will now stop writing and go to the desktop computer and spend the next several hours uploading CDs in order to download them to my iPod. I’ll do it completely uninterrupted. Now that’s a gift.