Before the advent of social media, and particularly geolocation checkin games like Foursquare, it was easy for us parents to sit in blissful ignorance of what was going on around us later in the evening and even into the wee hours of the morning.
Become a single parent, get some time off each week, and it’s like a ton of bricks: there’s a world out there after 7pm and it’s full of interesting people! Amazing!
I really can remember the first time I went down to Pearl Street Mall (the downtown hangout area here in Boulder, Colorado) around 9pm with some friends and we had a late dinner then bar hopped. Damn, I’ve been missing out for years! I thought.
And then there’s Foursquare…
When I am doing my own thing, it’s not so bad, but when I have a sick kid or am taking care of my children on an off night as a favor to my ex, it can be 10x frustrating to not just realize that my pals are out having a good time, but realize that I can’t join them!
Rubbing my nose in it (well, maybe that’s a bit strong, but still) are late night check-ins that I get telling me that while I’m sitting at home typing on my computer — yawn — my friends are just showing up at a trendy bar or hot spot, ready to laugh and have fun.
I know, I know, the lot of a parent is that we have to carry that proverbial weight and that it’s the old Devo shtick of duty now for the future, but still, sometimes, just sometimes having something like this pop up on my phone screen is just kind of a drag:
I just wish I could join them more often.
Yeah, being a single parent definitely has its challenges…
Oh how I can relate! Having joint custody of two of my kids is bliss and hell. I get the best of both worlds…and the worst!