gift for stay at home parents

after being on vacation with nat's family this week, i'll let you in on a secret.  if you have a spouse that's a stay at home parent, i have a great gift you can give them, and it's free.

take care of your child for them.  why?  well, i find that being a stay at home mom, i get burned out after some time.  the only time i really relax is when sean is down for a nap.  otherwise, i feel like i'm always having to watch sean.  i might be laying down on the couch, but i still have my "mommy guard" up.  i think that wears me out.  after doing this "job" day in and day out, the responsibility of raising a child most of the day wears on you.  a lot.  

so how do you go about this?  just do it.  just say to your spouse, "i love you, and i want time to yourself.  i'll take care of our son/daughter.  i want to spend time with them while you recuperate".  i think it works for as long as you can hold the fort, but if it's only a couple of hours, that's fine as well.   i think these words and actions work especially well for me.  the words say to me: 1) that nat really cares for me as a wife and understands how hard my job is day in and day out and 2)  that nat enjoys spending time with sean and that it's not a chore to him.  

i think on this vacation, i'm really appreciating the "enjoying your child and it's not a chore" attitude of taking care of the child.  there are nights when we're both tired, and nat is willing to take care of sean, but i have to ask him if he will.  this makes me feel guilty b/c i feel like nat would rather not take care of sean b/c he's busy or tired, so i should just do it instead.  whereas when nat just takes sean and says he wants to do it, i feel more carefree.

anyways, those are just my thoughts from this trip.