I love my kids more than anything, but there are times when I miss some aspects of my pre-kid life. I try not to dwell on the negative aspects of parenting, but I got to thinking about this yesterday after one more absurd attempt to use the bathroom in private. Here are the 10 things I miss about life before kids.

Spontaneity.

Before I had kids, night and weekends were free. I usually made plans for dinner with friends or a night out with my husband, but the majority of the time was unplanned. I could come and go as I pleased and, on a whim, I could take a nap, go to the mall, or catch a matinee.

Sleeping Past 6 AM. 

For almost three years, I haven’t slept past 6. Except for the rare nights away from my kids. I was never a super late sleeper, but I do miss sleeping until 7am.

Going to the Bathroom Alone. 

Now that Rocco is potty training, I never get to go #1 or #2 without him giving me a run-down commentary on my bathroom behavior. At first, it was a good teaching tool for him to learn what we do in there, but now it is just so annoying. Closing the door doesn’t help. He’s figured out how to open the doors on his own, and our old 50’s house doesn’t have locks on the doors, so scratch that (obvious) solution.

Leisurely Showers. 

I’ve always been more of an in-out showerer, but I miss the feeling of not having to rush to get it over with as quickly as possible. I miss the times when I could sit in there, putting on a hair mask, and just enjoying the warm running water. I look forward to the hotel showers when I’m traveling for work.

Sitting Down to Eat. 

The majority of my weekend meals are prepared and eaten within five minutes while standing in my kitchen. If I try to eat at the table, the kids are asking to eat my food. I look forward to 7pm when both kids are asleep and my husband and I can enjoy dinner together, actually sitting at the table.

Dinners Out with My Husband.  

Jade and I really enjoy going out to nice restaurants. Since we’ve had kids, I can count on one hand how many nice meals we’ve had. Sure, we could hire a babysitter, but I just don’t love the idea of paying someone so we can pay to go out to dinner. Lucky for me, my husband is a pretty great cook, so I get to enjoy nice meals at home when we have the time to plan a nice home-cooked meal.

Late Nights Out.

Drinking more than a couple glasses of wine or staying out past 10pm is actually a negative experience because it means I will be tired and/or hung over the next day. There is nothing worse than having to take care of two toddlers when you’re tired or hung over.  I’m not a big drinker or partier (since my early 20’s), but I do miss the option of going ‘out’ with friends or my husband, to have a few drinks or hit up a cool new bar.

Quiet Time. 

I miss coming home to silence after a long day. Every now and then, it would be nice to just have quiet.

Alone Time. 

The only alone time I have is when I leave the house during nap time or the rare times I travel for work. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy those nights when I’m alone in a hotel room for an entire night.

Vacations. 

The only actual vacation when you have young children are the ones when they are not there. Otherwise, it is another non-stop, kid-filled, crying-filled, busy day.

What do you miss most about your life before kids?