How to Survive Date Night

As a married couple, my husband and I enjoy the occasional night out together; sans children. Which means leaving them home alone with their grandmother, AKA mother-in-law (MIL). Truthfully, they are at an age where they can stay home alone for short periods of time without parental guidance, but my MIL is (as always) of a differing opinion. It's a moot point though, considering she has lived with us for the past ten years.

Day or night, she feels that she is the best person for the job when it comes to "babysitting" my teenager and two preteens. I'm not really sure how much "sitting" actually goes on when all they really do is lie around playing video games, watching tv and rotting their brains with mindless YouTube videos. But, if it makes her feel better, then so be it.

What doesn't sit well with me, however, is the incredibly detailed report that I get upon returning home. I tell you what, if you ever need a tattletale, look no further than my MIL. She can't remember what we had for dinner last night, but she can remember that at exactly 9:03 pm, my son and daughter got it into a fight over the remote control for the tv. Or that my other daughter was sliding down the stairs. Or that the cat knocked down one of my picture frames. Or that she decided nachos were a suitable supper despite the plethora of leftovers in the fridge.

Feeling needed gives my MIL's life meaning and purpose. And even though it drives me batty to hear every single thing that happened while I was trying to enjoy my date, it makes her feel like she did a good job watching the kids be kids. And I have to remember to take a step back and remember that. Every. Single. Time.

Being a mom is so ingrained in her nature that she can't help herself. Before we even leave the house for drinks or dinner or a movie, we always get one of the same standard responses from her:

"Don't stay out too late."

"Be careful."

"Don't drink too much."

I know these are nothing more than "mom-isms", but I can't help but laugh when she says them. Here we are, full grown adults, having to take care of my husband's mother, and she's telling us what to do. It's pretty funny when you think about it. I'm having to make sure she's eating right, taking her medication, monitoring her blood sugar and blood pressure, sleeping well, getting some exercise, being social, hydrating, making her doctor appointments, shopping for her and sometimes even cleaning up after her and still the mom in her comes out.

"Yes, ma'am. We'll be good." 

It just goes to show that once a mom, always a mom. Even if you get a point in your life in which you are going to have to rely on others for help, moms are inevitably going to try to look after you. So there's no fighting it, I suppose. And it seems to make her happy to think that she's doing us a favor by reporting all things suspicious when we go out. Yes, it's kind of a pain, And yes, there are times I'd rather not hear the "Bad Report" but it's not really for me, is it? It's for her. And all she's doing is looking after the ones she loves.