This summer, my family rented a cabin in the Adirondacks. For a glorious week I escaped the Texas inferno and romped around with my two nieces who are, without question, the cutest humans on the planet.  

One evening, as my brother, Jason, laid on the couch two-year-old Ruby climbed onto him and sprawled across his chest. For a moment, envy shot through me. I wanted what Jason had—my own family, my own kids. 

Photo courtesy of Abby Bischoff via flickr.com

But, while parenthood is a gift, it isn’t the promised land. Before the week of family vacation was over, that reality check had already bounced. There are some definite perks to not having kids. So, in case you need a reminder of what those are, here’s a short list from my week in the Adirondacks:

• You get to start your day with the aroma of coffee, not a poopy diaper that’s been ripening for hours.

• You can take a 20 minute nap without your roommate throwing a tantrum in the next room.

• Let’s be honest, you can take a two hour nap if you really wanted to. 

• You can cook with as much spinach and asparagus as you want.

• You can go for a hike and drink in the sounds of nature, rather than the wails of a cranky baby. 

• You can sleep in. (Hallelujah.)

• It’s not your job to teach someone that noses aren’t for picking and eating. 

• During an airport layover, you can watch a movie, answer emails, or read a book. It’s not your job to keep that two-year-old from escaping down the terminal.

• If a kid on the plane starts screaming, you can crank the volume on iTunes. And, people won’t be throwing angry looks your way.

True, the grass might sometimes be greener for people with kids, but then again, so is the marker scribbled on their walls.

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