Hello!

Friday nights – the end of a work week. The chance to kick up your heels, enjoy a bottle few glasses of wine and forget about responsibility for a bit. Unless you have kids, then it looks slightly different.

Friday nights before kids: meet your partner after work at some funky little restaurant and enjoy a bottle of wine. Take your time eating. All the while chatting away and catching up on what hilarious things have been happening in the work place.

Friday night after kids: finish work, collect kids from childcare/after school care, rush in the door and try and get dinner prepared in 15 minutes before you have a mutiny on your hands. All while trying to answer questions from the seven year old about what would happen if we were in Star Wars, who would win in a battle between an eagle and a great white shark, and trying to stop the toddler from biting the dining table or throwing the cutlery across the room and a fork making contact with someone.

Friday night before kids: after a leisurely dinner, go and watch a 9pm screening session at the movies. Get home, have great sex, and sleep in until 9am.

Friday night after kids: after manic dinner and possible laceration by flying forks, wrangle kids to get them ready for bed. Between bathing and dressing kids, stories, dodging scattered Lego blocks left on the floor, and seven year old getting out of bed 12 times before he actually falls asleep, finally collapse on the couch with a bottle glass of wine. Watch Better Homes and Gardens. Partner suggests watching a movie and realises it’s 9pm. Too late to start watching a movie, there’s no way you’ll stay awake until the end. Watch trashy tv for a bit longer, fall asleep exhausted in bed. No sex. Wake up at 6am to sounds of kids making a whole lot of noise.

parent weeknight

Friday night before kids: Spontaneously decide to catch up with friends at a bar or restaurant in the city. Get changed, grab bag and head out the door. Drink too much wine. Get home around 1am. Sleep in until whenever you want. Go out for leisurely late brunch.

crazy dad

A dad on a night out without the kids. He’s only had one beer…

Friday night after kids: You made plans over a month ago to go out for dinner with friends. The babysitter has been booked and the seven year old has been bribed to be on his best behaviour so babysitter will be happy to look after the kids again another time. You have confirmed with the babysitter so many times, you’re worried that they think you have some kind of obsession or crush on them. Drink three glasses of wine and feel like you are completely off your face. Get home by 10pm so you don’t have to pay babysitter another $25 bucks an hour for sitting on the couch and watching tv. Sleep in until the kids choose to wake you up, most likely around 6am. Have horrendous hangover, children discover recorder and harmonica you thought a) you hid in a better hiding place, or b) threw it away after you developed a migraine from the continuous shrill noise produced by the instruments last time.

How are your Friday nights looking since you had kids? Please share in the comments below.

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  • My Friday nights didnt really change. I was never much of a party girl and much prefered to stay home with a good book.

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  • sounds about right, in bed by 10pm cup of tea

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  • oh I love this!
    I remember Fridays at work having a buzz about them, the anticipation of the weekend, discussing Friday night plans. Then home, drink, get changed, get dressed up, meet up with friends and have a brilliant night doing whatever we wanted until whenever with no plans. Get home late, sleep in till late. No drama’s.
    Now, 3 children later. Friday arvo school pick up, home for snacks and change of clothes, off to drama class, dinner before the little ones cracks a tantrum. Can’t afford a baby sitter let alone paying for dinner out anyway! Watch some crap on tele then fall into bed exhausted, ready for early Saturday morning sports…

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  • Ha ha. Couldn’t have put it better myself (-:

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  • So true! All worth it though.

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  • So very true along with going out with friends only to be at the sports field by 8am with a sore head

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  • Lol, wouldn’t change it for a bit !

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  • Very little changed for me pre or post children on a Friday night – but Saturday night with a bandsman was a very different kettle of fish. Had a ball all the way through

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  • Quiet which is good because all are asleep in the house

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  • Nope, there was no difference for me and my Friday nights before or after kids. I was never a big partier. If anything, my Friday nights improved after kids when they were invited to things and started doing extra curricular activities

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  • Very true – but I love my new family friendly Fridays more than anything I had before.


    • I agree! Everything changes and for the better too! :)

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  • Happy to make it to Friday night and relax! ;)

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  • I just love this and cannot help but laugh! My husband and I often have a laugh when I’m in my pjs and ready for bed at 10 on a Friday night….my how the tides have turned!!

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  • Lol. My Friday night’s haven’t really changed. I don’t drink

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  • This made me laugh out loud!

    Reply

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