Kids Going Back to School is as Good for Parents as it is for Students

Don't get me wrong, I love my kids.But having them back in school is the best thing for both them and us.

We've had a great summer. We went swimming as much as we could. We enjoyed the outdoors as often as we could. We got to stay up late most nights and sleep in most mornings. We didn't adhere to any schedule. We just kind of went with the flow and enjoyed it very much. It has pros and cons, but we went with it anyway.

Now that school is back in session, it'll be nice because my wife and I can go on dates again.

We're those crazy parents who won't let just anyone watch our kids. We don't have a baby sitter. I have family members, but our youngest, Jaron, is more than a handful. He has autism and doesn't just stop what he's doing when asked or play quietly by himself most of the time. He'd rather climb and explore everything, knocking things over and breaking items in the process. Whomever watches him can't just have him dropped off to play with the other kids. The caregiver must be on point at all times, which is emotionally exhausting. It's what my wife and I know all too well.

He is getting better, though. Just not quite there yet. We save most people the hassle and stay home most of the time unless we all go out together.

Now that he's back in school, along with our girls, my wife and I get a chance to escape together for a little while -- and even have time to clean up our place, which is thoroughly trashed from a summer's worth of at-home activities.

I still look forward to picking the kids up after school and all. It's just that when they're plugging away at school, Mommy and Daddy have our secret life where we can spend time with one another without having them fight for our attention.

It'll be nice.