How much time do you have for yourself per week if you have a child?

[mumdone1]

I probably am being unreasonable but I am at my wits end. I feel like I have no time really just for me. DP does his share of parenting but it’s just relentless and I’ve recently become very very envious of my single friends with kids. They are frazzled during the week but then the weekend comes and they both have either a day or two days to basically do as they please. They’ve also each had long weekend breaks abroad, one alone and the other went with a childless friend. I know DP would be happy for me to arrange a one of trip like that but I find that the weeks pass and I don’t ever get me time. I do go to the gym and I go out to the hairdressers etc when it suits which I appreciate my single parent friends can’t do but I would honestly love love love to know the weekend arrives and I can have a block of time to do something or do nothing. AIBU to expect to have this time? Do others have it? I don’t feel like a gym class and random hair appointments etc are really ‘time off’ from parenting. Pretty miserable about it all.

Ahh, yes. I look enviously out of the window at women walking by with sleeping babies whilst I'm in another sodding meeting.

I have found that if you set big expectations for childfree time it almost always isn't as good as you wanted it to be anyway.

Better to pace yourself with regular breathers, and make sure you really enjoy those.

I'm a single parent, I get 2 days off every fortnight as my exh has them every other weekend.

I'm exhausted the other 11 days though and I barely get a moment to myself because I'm either working or running about after the kids. Today I put an ice cube tray in the fridge, I haven't done that kind of thing since my kids were newborn, they are 9 and 6 now. I don't get any time in the evenings because my 9 year old usually isn't asleep until at least 9.30pm.

I'm "luckier" than single parents who don't get a break at all but I don't consider myself "lucky". I still consider my kids at a disadvantage because they spend those 2 days with their dad in front of a screen, from what I can gather. I blitzed the house last weekend and it's a total bomb site again already because I barely have any time to empty the dishwasher. There's also no flexibility, if something has been organised that isn't on my child free weekend then I can't go.

Did I mention how exhausted I am? Smaller more regular breaks are better IMO. Be careful what you wish for.