DATE NIGHT. One of my favorite phrases. :)
We were so grateful to partake in our first Respite Night experience. There is a non-profit organization called Corrigan Care that has teamed up with a local indoor play center Little Bears to provide monthly Respite Nights for parents with small children with disabilities. They had a whole team of ladies taking care of the group of kids with special needs and their siblings on a Friday evening for a very small cost. I was so shocked when we dropped the kids off because the respite team took over right away, putting name tags on the kids and whisking them away to play before I could even say goodbye. I expected them to ask us a lot of questions about each kid, but they practically pushed us out the door. I had previously filled out a packet of questions about Gwyneth, but there wasn't much about Ryker at all. They took the paperwork, told us to put each kid's supplies in the little cubbies labeled with their names, and then said "We got it. Go have a good time."
I hate admitting that it was hard for me to give up control like that. But it was SO good for me. I felt completely at ease that the kids were taken care of by pros. Reid and I really enjoyed our fancy dinner out in Dunwoody.
When we returned to Little Bears to pick them up, they were exhausted from non-stop play, but they were in heaven. I had bought them each a sleeping bag and packed their PJs, but I guess there was no time to settle down even though it was hours past their bedtime. Within minutes of getting in the car, they were asleep.
We can't wait until next month's date night. What an incredible service these organizations are providing for the special needs community.
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