Doesn't it just chap your butt when you have to give your kids up for their mandatory "ex-spouse summer time"? I know it does mine. I have the children most of the year. They see their father 2 times a year, Christmas and the summer. The father pays for the children's cell phones, but does he call them? NOPE! He only talks with the children when they text him to find out what's going on where he lives.
Usually the children go to their father's for about 6 weeks during the summer, but this year, my son was in football camp most of the summer so the children only went for two weeks.
Those were the longest two weeks of the whole summer. I couldn't wait for them to get home. I don't like the time my children spend at their father's because their step-mother talks bad about me and their father doesn't make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be as far as staying active and staying away from the junk food (my daughter is diabetic and needs a strict diet and exercise routine). My ex spoils my daughter rotten while my son is asked to do all the chores and mow the grass while he's there. That's the story I get when they get home, so it's hearsay and can't be verified.
So, to end this rant....here's what I do when my children leave for the time they have to spend with their father.
I schedule time off from doing my marketing and real estate business and spend extra time with my husband. I make sure we go out to dinner and go to the movies and act like we don't have a care in the world. If I was single, I would still go do things I can't do while I have the children home. Go out with friends for some adult time. Make sure I had at least one hobby that needed to get done and finish it. And finally, sleep until I didn't want to sleep anymore (since I'm usually up at dawn to get my work done before the rest of the house wakes up).
So instead of fretting over your children leaving, look forward to it and plan your time away from the children. Remember to have your "understanding cap" on when your children get home because they are going to talk your ear off, show you everything under the sun, and tell you all about their time away from you. Just remember, that time away from each other is needed by all. It reminds us of how much we appreciate what we do have.
Hugs, Mom
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