Date Night

A little while back, my husband and I watched "Date Night" starring Tina Fey and Steve Carrell (not to mention a very handsome, very shirtless Mark Wahlberg!) and it may have hit home just a little too much.Since moving away from family, My Hero and I don't get many nights away from the kids. And by not many, I, of course, mean NONE. Getting a babysitter is a huge hassle and doubles the cost of the evening.So , we set the kids up in their room and put in a Red Box. Woo Hoo! Friday night and we are watching a movie that is not animated and/or involve singing animals. However, we did choose a movie that could sustain interruptions from said children. Which was either fortuitous or well, just an understanding of the reality that is our lives.Any way, there is a scene when the couple is being chased that Tina Fey lets loose and she talks about hearing her own voice and not recognizing it. And I knew exactly what she meant.Sometimes when you are a mom, you feel like your main job is to put out fires. And sometimes these fires become wildfires which can put you into the position of simply watering the roof and protecting the perimeter. The Santa Ana winds are blowing and you are armed with a garden hose.And with the craziness of my life, I have done just about everything but urinate on the flames. (Yes, I did just say urinate. I am pretty proud of myself for resisting "Tee-Tee".)  But as any good firefighter can tell you, this is not an effective way to put out fires (though you know some guy out there somewhere has tried it!) and certainly a non-starter in the area of prevention.Why do I have to learn the same lesson over and over? Don't you think that a few knocks to the head would be enough for me to figure things out? Maybe once isn't enough but does it have to take 12, 563 times? (That may be a bit of an exaggeration -- a more accurate number might be 11, 998.)I don't want to be a fire fighter, drill sergeant, or any other profession that requires special equipment or yelling into a bullhorn. Just like Tina Fey's character, I know that I should let my husband help me more. I know that I can't do everything and I know that trying to do it all serves no one. So if I know it, why don't I live it?I'm not sure but I hope it doesn't take a mistaken identity with a New York gangster and dirty cops for me to figure it out.Though running into a shirtless Mark Wahlberg wouldn't be the end of the world. Just saying.