Beck Vass: Every parent needs a break like this

As soon as I stepped foot on the plane, I relaxed. Photo / 123RF

For three glorious days, and two nights, we did what we wanted when we wanted, without thinking about anyone else, writes Beck Vass.

Yes, we got a break from our kids.

I mentioned the anxiety I was having in the lead-up to this trip last week.

I had been very worried about going, and about our three kids (7, 4 and 1) being naughty for my Mum who had kindly offered to fly to Tauranga to look after them while we went to Sydney.

But as soon as I stepped foot on the plane, I relaxed. There was nothing more I could do about what might happen at home.

Keep up with the latest in lifestyle and entertainment

Get the latest lifestyle & entertainment headlines straight to your inbox.

Please email me competitions, offers and other updates. You can stop these at any time.

Email address

Sign Up

By signing up for this newsletter, you agree to NZME’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

I was acutely aware that it had been a very long time since I'd had an opportunity to escape and it may be many years more before the next time.

Maximum enjoyment was mandatory.

We left a chilly 17-degree day in Tauranga, fresh snow down south evident in a cold wind, and stepped of the plane into a 35-degree Sydney, with an extra two hours up our sleeves thanks to the time difference.

We checked in to our hotel, did a spot of shopping, then went out for dinner.

The next morning after what felt like a significant sleep-in, we woke up and it was only 6am. Of course that's 8am in New Zealand time, so we felt pretty well rested.

We got up and went for a run – something we used to do habitually on Saturday mornings but which we hadn't done together in about eight years.

We wandered - well, my husband did, I was waddling from the run (my first in a very, very long time) - around the waterfront for breakfast, checked out the markets, did more shopping, then did the amazing Bondi to Coogee walk, a stunning coastal track full of beautiful beaches.

We had sangria and Mexican at a café afterwards, then went shopping again before returning to the hotel before heading out to watch the All Blacks end their Rugby World Cup bid while grossly outnumbered by England supporters.

We had Asian tapas and dumplings after the game.

My husband's Apple watch said he had clocked up 28 kilometres that day. I was only a few kilometres behind him. I am very unfit at the moment - the least fit I have been in ages.

The fact that we walked this far and did so much that day tells me how much energy children take from you.

We crammed so much in and we didn't feel tired once.

I read an entire book on the plane rides.

All I carried with me was my phone and credit card.

There was no planning or packing, no thinking about who needs what in how long, or how which kid might react badly to the way toast is cut, or what's in a sandwich or what awful concoction I have offended them with for dinner.

There was no worry about meltdowns, no hunger or whining or nappy changes or the older two kids fighting.

There was no cleaning or washing or any other jobs. No cooking or dishes.

I looked at my husband half way through the trip and said to him:

"Now I have anxiety about going home. Please don't make me go back there."

I think it's time to plan another break.