Life Hack: How do you celebrate New Year’s Eve with kids while acknowledging that no 45-year-old mom of three is making it to midnight without tapping out? Answer: join a kid-friendly New Year’s Eve bash that wraps up just after the New York ball drop at 9 PM. Genius, right? Well… not entirely.
Turns out, at my age, extending bedtime past 8:00 PM is a choice. My body, ever the realist, whispered to my brain: “Don’t forget you’re up at 5:30 AM tomorrow for farm chores, cooking breakfast, reminding kids to brush their hair, and probably something to do with Trackers winter camps.” Fast forward to the after-party. We’re home, pajamas on, ready to crash—except the kids insist on staying up two more hours for Pacific Standard midnight. The best-laid plans of mice and moms, indeed.
Meanwhile, my poor husband Tony wavered in and out of consciousness as we marathoned How to Train Your Dragon. Somewhere other people without kids were living their best lives—drinking champagne, nibbling hors d’oeuvres from Trader Joe’s, and pretending they were still 22. Maybe some parents can even pull that off. But this Gen Xer knows it’s all about living vicariously through our kids’ adventures. That’s the secret sauce, isn’t it? Probably why you send them to Trackers, too.
See you in the forest,
Molly Deis
Trackers Earth
Founder & Mom