I will raise my hand and admit. I love to have my parents come in town AND I also love to see them go home. I LOVE my parents. I enjoy spending time with my parents; we always have a fabulous time. Picking them up at the airport is a joy-filled event and so is dropping them off at the airport.
Why?
Because I get my home life back! My daughter and I have a rhythm to our life. When anyone comes to stay with us it changes the dynamics of our routine. For a visit of a couple of days it’s fine. When it’s been one week like it has been with my parents, my routine doesn’t like being out of sync that long.
My Dad has a saying ‘Guests are like Fish, they start smelling after 3 days’
And guess what? I know my parents don’t enjoy being a guest under my roof any longer than I do. Everyone likes the rhythm of their life and when out of sync they want to get back into their routine.
This is a healthy attitude. It’s okay to admit that we feel this way; more importantly we need to talk about it with each other. My parents are already discussing their bike ride when they return home and working on their To Do list when the plane touches ground.
Trust me it’s no different for my daughter and myself. We have items on our To Do list we have put off because of their visit we are eager to get to as well. And my parents know it. We are ALL talking about how much we are looking forward to returning to the rhythm of our lives. The length of visit that starts grating on people may vary; but sooner or later everyone wishes for their routine to return to normal.
I was sitting in a work meeting Monday after Thanksgiving. As folks were gathering, I asked each person ‘How way your holiday?’ About one-third of the people stated “It was nice” and then the semi-colon was placed in the sentenced followed by: “I survived my In-Laws”, “Tough having my daughter back after she’s been away from college”, “Was happy to see my Dad off yesterday”, etc.
Today, I’m content with feeling out of sorts with my routine. I am on countdown with dropping my parents off at the airport tomorrow. It will be a joy-filled event for all of us. Not only did we have a fabulous week; but, joy to be returning to the normal routine of our life is something all of our souls are craving.
Life is good.

Author's Bio: 

Debbi Dickinson is a professional woman. She understands the challenges of balancing work, home, children and carving time out for you. She has developed techniques that integrate the various aspects of her life so they work in harmony. Debbi coaches women to thrive where they are at; nurture their inner goddess and step into a life of joy. For 4 day Free Video training on how to balance work, home and love, please access at www.steppingintojoy.com