The first week of June my wife went to CT to visit her sister for our nephew's baby blessing. This is their 3rd child, and we've missed the first two because we were about to have a baby or just had one. So we needed to "represent" the Texas side.
That meant I was home alone with 4 kiddos for 6 days. My dad watched the kids the first day, and I took 3 days vacation.
Let me sum it up in one word: memorable.
Everyone (i.e., other moms) said I would gain more appreciation for everything my wife does. That's impossible, because I already appreciate all she does and how hard she works. She's the machine that keeps our family working, and I'm just trying my best to keep the cogs well greased.
What I did learn from my memorable experience is not so much WHAT she does, but HOW it makes her FEEL. My first day started off great with breakfast and getting them all to the gym so I could work-out. We had lunch there, and went home to swim. The little-ones went down for a nap and the older two and I played outside. At about 4pm I started to think about how tired I was, but that I had to put dinner on the table in less than 2 hours! Man was I exhausted.
So we ordered a pizza, and all passed-out around 9pm. The rest of the weekend was enjoyable and we survived the ordeal. If I had the chance to stay at home and raise my kids or go to work, I'd choose stay at home with my kids any day.
People say that "You need to walk a mile in my shoes" to really understand X. Understanding and comprehending is not the hurdle; it's the expression and the emotion underlying the walk.
I've always believed life isn't about getting from A to B, it's about the journey. Now I believe it's also about the experience.