I hate leaving my children. Yes, of course, there is all the mushy stuff. I love them, I miss them, and I wonder what they are doing. All of this is not the top reason, though. I hate leaving them because I don't know what I will come home to.

For some reason, my husband thinks that my asking him to watch the kids is just that. Watching them. That doesn't mean dressing them or hanging out with them, getting them involved in an activity or entertaining them. It just means watching.

There was a time early in our marriage and early on with kids that I not only hated it, I used it to fuel a fight.

"When I take care of the kids they are dressed and ready to go," I'd say. To which my husband would shrug his shoulders and walk off.

"When I have the kids, breakfast is hot and on the table. " To that my husband would grab a handful of whatever sugary cereal was in the pantry and throw it in his mouth.

Now, I see that he is doing exactly what he should be doing. As a mom, I am with them day in and day out. That forces me to be the disciplinarian and all around "the mean one."

Hanging out with dad is not everyday. The kids enjoy the sugar disguised in a cereal box because Mommy would never do that. They make a mess with all their toys because they are showing Daddy all they have and how to work it. They are still in pj's because they curled up with Daddy to watch cartoons.

Yes, when I get home I have to step over toys and clean them up. Yes, the dishes will reach the ceiling. Life is too short to take away the fun that children have with their Dad. I will continue to clean up the trails they make around the house, cook, and clean, as long as my children are happy and healthy and my husband loves on his kids.