Editor’s Note (July 2021): Kid-Free in the QC

Sixteen months is a long time to be at home with kids. You love them with every fiber of your being, sure, but it can feel suffocating when there’s no time or space to be alone. The freedom to focus on one task at a time is a luxury you give up when you become a parent, and the pandemic has only intensified that. Constant interruptions, especially in the early years, are routine.

As I write this editor’s note, my husband is away on a golf trip and my kids are in Asheville with my parents for two days. I’m sitting at my desk, reveling in the quiet. It. Is. Glorious. I feel like I’ve been in a rush every day of my life for the last eight years, but today my time is my own. It’s better than any gift I could unwrap: two whole days to eat and sleep and work and exercise when I want to, and the only mess I have to clean up is my own.

With more and more public venues reopening this summer, you’re probably itching to get out of the house and have some grown-up fun. On our site this month, Carroll Walton shares a roundup of kid-free activities in Charlotte. Randi Mazzella looks at ways parents can use technology to socialize with their kids instead of haggling them over too much screen time. Our “Get to Know” series introduces you to the DeBoer family who just released their first book, Until Tomorrow…Little People. They share the story of their move from Charlotte to Burbank, CA in 2019 to chase their children’s dreams of acting. Designer Dominique DeLaney creates a moody yet playful boys’ bathroom, our Pint Sized Foodie reviews YaMe Asian Noodle, and Lily Barnes shares an original cake recipe.

As we re-emerge into this post-COVID world, your weekends are probably filling up with soccer games and swim meets and birthday parties. But don’t forget to carve out some kid-free time, too. Leave those monkeys at home and have a date night with your spouse. Grab a drink with friends, go to the mall, or find a quiet corner in a coffee shop if that’s what you’ve been missing. As much as we love them—and we all know you do—give yourself a well-deserved break. You’ve certainly earned it.

Taylor