Going on vacation without your family: here's how to do it

With a heap of guilt and a dose of sleep deprivation, I boarded the plane to Ibiza. To do nothing more than chat with my girlfriend, sleep, and drink white sangria with cava.

It felt very nice and very strange. I felt guilty for leaving my sons at home with their father for four days. Of course, he can take good care of Bodi and Daaf, but I am still their mother. Shouldn't mothers always be there? Can mothers leave their babies alone? Is seven months too young to be a few nights without mom? I worried and got a stomach ache from it. But it also felt like a gift to pack that suitcase with only beach dresses and flip-flops: after everything this year has brought me (a tough pregnancy, a tough delivery), it was now my time. And in the Spanish late summer sun.

Are you also going on vacation without your partner and children? This is what I learned:

– Flip a switch. You're not at home, so don't be busy with home. Yes, of course, you ask how things are going, but enjoy the moment, the vacation. You'll be back before you know it.

– If you feel homesick, look at videos or photos of your children. You'll laugh. Then, put the phone away and look around you.

– Start with a short trip. Practice for a few days before you go away for a week or longer.

– Talk about it with those you are with. Explain your feelings. That already relieves so much.

– See the bright side of missing your family. You must be very happy at home if you miss your love and children after just a few hours. You can cherish that.

– Plan well: make sure there is enough help at home to get through the days.

– Don't expect too much from yourself. It's not strange that you find being important at home as a mother and that some moments are therefore difficult. But it's also not weird if you find it important to recharge a bit and think about yourself. Don't forget that you've already gone through a nine-month pregnancy.

Did I enjoy it? Absolutely. Would I go again? Yes, too. But honestly: I also found it very strange and odd not to mother. As if I wasn't complete. And so I find a few days long enough. Just recharging the battery, sun, fun with friends. And now that I've had a few broken nights, I'm extra happy with that sun-kissed body. My lovely gift to myself: so nice. And now back to being a full-time mom. Also nice. Even with this autumn weather here.