Divide & Conquer

Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

—Colossians 3:14

Our parenting strategy for the last several months has been “Divide and Conquer.” When I was pregnant and sick, I stayed home basically all the time, and Aaron took Henry to school and to the park. Every night these days, I put on Mac’s jammies and feed him while Aaron’s reading to Henry and tucking him in. Then Aaron rocks Mac while I clean up the kitchen. Back and forth, divide and conquer.

Because we both travel for work, I’m home when Aaron’s working and traveling, and he’s home when I’m working and traveling. It’s a complex shuffle of schedules, and it works for us, generally. Back and forth, divide and conquer. But this summer we realized that it had left us a little too divided.

Aaron surprised me with a weekend in New York City. He’d arranged for our moms to watch the boys. We had a fantastic time. A glorious, wonderful, laughing-and-kissing, wandering little neighborhoods, cheesy-romantic-comedy-montage great time. We came back resolved to spend our time and our money and our childcare more carefully, and to give time alone together a higher priority. We may still divide and conquer with the kids. But now we know better than to let it divide us.