Terry Foster: What It's Like When My Wife Leaves For A Weekend

By Terry Foster
@TerryFoster971

I will be a single parent this weekend and the rules will be relaxed a bit.

My wife Adrienne is the disciplinarian and sometimes I feel for her because I am often the third child that won't pick up after himself or does not care that my son's pants are sagging a bit on the backside because he is not wearing a belt.

Adrienne's sister Gayle is under the weather and she is attending to her in Atlanta. She leaves Friday morning and returns Monday. That means I will be in charge for the better part of three days.

The single dad in charge is not the most responsible thing for the family, but it is the most fun. The prepared meals my wife has in the refrigerator might still be in the same spot when she returns as we go out for Mexican, barbecue and chicken wings. I cannot wait to watch NCAA tournament games in my sweat pants and socks. It depends on how things go, but I might not wear shoes for at least 24 hours.

We will probably go to the mall and buy things we don't need. We will return home with cookies, cool new shirts and maybe a new pair of jeans. We won't have to hear the wife scream "Don't spend too much" as we bounce out the garage door to the cars. You know the old saying: when the cats away the mouse will play. We plan on playing.

Momma says we have to go to church on Sunday and it might be the only order that we carry out. Or maybe not. We shall see.

It should be fun. It is always refreshing when a family member leaves for a few days. The house feels different. The order of business is different.

That was the way it was three weeks ago when daughter Celine went to New York for a conference at the United Nations. I heard the same thing happened last week when I went to Las Vegas for the first weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament.

However, that does not last forever. By Sunday I will miss my wife Abs. There won't be anyone to snuggle while watching OJ Simpson or the political comedy on CNN. Our conversations on the phone will last a little longer and I will say "can't wait for you to return."

And then I will turn into more responsible dad. I will clean up the kitchen, cook one of the meals and lean on the kids to clean up their room and help me around the house.
We know what the right thing to do is even before momma gets home to tell us what to do.

Isn't that the way it is around your house when you are a single dad for the weekend?

I can't wait for my wife to leave and I miss her already.

(Foster can be reached at Terry.Foster@cbsradio.com)