Ah, New Year’s Eve! It used to be my ultimate favorite night of the year—before life got a lot more hectic with two little ones in the mix. Now, I find myself dreading it just a bit. If you’ve ever spent the night ringing in the new year with kids, you’ll relate to these struggles:
- Sitter Search Frustration: Unless you booked a babysitter months in advance, good luck! Finding someone to watch your kids on this night is like trying to get a ticket to a sold-out concert. If you do find one, expect to pay a premium for the privilege.
- Fashion Dilemmas: As you sift through your closet, you might be tempted to pair that glitzy top with yoga pants. Because who’ll notice, right? Spoiler: they will.
- Midnight Exhaustion: By 9 PM, you’re already feeling like a zombie, but the countdown is still THREE long hours away. Maintaining a lively demeanor when all you want to do is curl up in bed is even more tiring than childbirth.
- The Resolution Inquiry: Brace yourself for everyone asking about your New Year’s resolutions. You might find yourself wishing for survival to be considered a valid goal. Other, more personal resolutions—like getting back in shape or being nicer to your partner—stay hidden.
- Costly Choices: You’ll soon learn about the “Rule of 120.” Between the babysitter, dinner, drinks, and late-night pizza runs, the costs add up quickly. The next morning, you’ll wonder what you could’ve done with all that cash instead.
- Jealousy of Childless Friends: When you go out with friends who don’t have kids, there’s a stark difference in energy levels. They can party into the early hours while you’re longing for your own cozy bed.
- Parenting Conversation Overload: If you’re out with other parents, it’s either a night filled with kid-talk (which makes you miss your little ones) or a wild escape from parenthood that leaves your partner wishing you’d stayed home.
- Fireworks Fears: When the midnight fireworks start, you might find yourself ready to unleash your “mom wrath” on anyone who disturbs your sleeping children.
- Social Media Regrets: Those 12:03 AM selfies? Not your finest moment. You might regret sharing them as soon as the morning light hits.
- Early Wake-Up Calls: No matter how late you partied or how much bubbly you enjoyed, your kids will wake you up at the crack of dawn. It’s like they have a sixth sense for early mornings.
- Desperate for Coffee: The morning after requires copious amounts of coffee and maybe some aspirin. If you run out of either, you’ll be wishing for a miracle—like trading your firstborn for a large coffee with all the fixings.
- Mother’s Guilt: The morning after, amidst all the regret, you’ll realize you’d have preferred a quiet night in with your kids, sipping sparkling cider and calling it a night by 9:15 PM.
- Endless Noisemakers: Your kids will play with those obnoxious New Year’s noisemakers for weeks, driving you to the brink of sanity until you finally toss them out in a fit of frustration.
- Excuse Planning: By this time next year, you’ll have crafted the perfect excuse to stay in. Something along the lines of, “Sorry, we couldn’t find a sitter! Hope you have a blast!” is bound to come in handy.
But here’s the silver lining: After having kids, you realize that the best place to be on New Year’s Eve is wherever you feel most at ease. Often, that’s home, wearing your yoga pants, surrounded by family.
Here’s to surviving parenthood, embracing the bodies that brought our babies into the world, striving to be kinder to our partners, and maybe—just maybe—getting our acts together. And if not, there’s always next year!
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Summary
New Year’s Eve with kids can be a mix of exhaustion, financial strain, and missed opportunities for fun. While it may not resemble the carefree nights of the past, finding joy in family time and cozy moments at home can transform the night into a heartwarming experience.