- We wanted to go to our friends' three-day wedding, but leaving our kids was going to be tough.
- We decided to rent an apartment big enough that my parents could come with us.
- They watched the kids while we went to the wedding events, and we all had a great time.
Parenting during the early years can be tricky, especially when your little one wants you and only you. Your social life often gets put on the back burner, and I struggled with this when I became a mom.
Last year, my husband and I were invited to our friends' three-day wedding on the Gold Coast, Australia, where my folks are based. These particular friends know how to throw an epic party, so we really wanted to be there to celebrate with them. My husband and I were also desperately in need of a little kid-free adult time, where we could let loose and reconnect with our younger selves again.
However, our youngest daughter was still quite clingy with me. Our older two kids were 5 and 9 at the time, so we knew they would be fine if they had a three-day sleepover at my parents' house, but the 2-year-old wouldn't hear of it.
In the lead-up to the wedding, my husband and I deliberated about what to do. Hiring a babysitter around the clock was out of the question, and it was going to be hard for my mom and dad to have the three kids at their place, which was about a half-hour drive from the wedding. So, my husband came up with a plan.
My mom and dad came with us to watch the kids
"Why don't we pay for your mom and dad to stay around the corner from the wedding?" he asked one night over dinner. It sounded like a good idea to me, so I asked my folks if they would mind, and they said they'd love to. After all, who doesn't want a mini-break in an apartment on the beach (even with three little kids to entertain)?
We rented the most perfect three-bedroom apartment with enough room for all seven of us so my parents could stay and watch the kids while we went to the wedding events. It had views of the Gold Coast and the occasional migrating humpback whale cruising past. There was a playground close to our apartment, and it was a short walk to the local shops. Best of all, the hotel where the wedding guests were staying was a two-minute walk away.
When the big day arrived and we checked in, the kids were so excited about the setting, they barely registered it that night when it was time for my husband and me to slip out to attend the first wedding event — a cocktail party.
We got glammed up, enjoyed a few drinks, and then returned to the apartment to kiss the kids goodnight before continuing the festivities. It was perfect.
The next day was the day of the actual wedding. We spent the morning with the kids and my folks on the beach, then walked two minutes down the road to the bus stop, where transport was waiting to take us to a picturesque wedding venue in the next suburb.
It was the perfect arrangement, and we all had a good time
We had the most amazing time at the wedding and loved that we were still close enough to go back to the apartment in a taxi if the kids needed us. Luckily, they didn't — they were having too much fun with Nana and Pop.
The third day was a recovery day. We had a boozy brunch at a local surf club, and then that night, we headed back to the same venue where the welcome cocktail party was held for impromptu post-wedding drinks with our friends. We had a ball and crept into the apartment at 3 a.m. feeling like two naughty 20-somethings.
Overall, paying for a larger apartment so our parents could stay with us and babysit while we attended our friends' wedding worked amazingly well. It meant we had people we trusted watching our kids, and the kids felt safe being with their grandparents, so they didn't need us.
We all ended up having an incredible three days. Mom and Dad made memories with the kids, while my husband and I danced and frolicked and felt like we were in our 20s again.
