It’s Saturday afternoon, the baby is napping and the older child is quietly playing in her room. So you tell her you and your partner are going to take a nap and to be sure and knock if she needs you so that you can have time to wake up.
Actually, what you really need to do is get a lock for the door.
But, how do you explain to your suspicious elementary school aged child why you and Daddy need a nap or some quiet time by yourselves?
If you have an incredibly inquisitive child, just saying you need time to yourselves often isn’t enough. Your kid gets a curious gleam in his eye, he gives a knowing glance (he can’t really know though, right? He still thinks sex is only for making babies). You feel like squirming teenagers under his questioning look.
Little ones don’t know enough to realize what they really don’t want to know. Which means you may be left feeling like teenagers sneaking around behind your parents’ (in this case, your children’s) backs.
First get a nice sturdy lock for the door. Asking your kids nicely to knock before they come in doesn’t cut it. Next, emphasize the importance of parent alone time. If you train your kids that sometimes parents need time alone, they will be more likely to accept it when you lock that bedroom door.
As parents, how do you talk to you kids about parental need for “time alone?” And how do you handle every parent’s worst nightmare: your kid walking in on you in you while you’re having sex?