When I first got pregnant, I knew I would only want the best for my child. But when I actually began juggling the day-to-day with my son Benton, I realized that there were some sacrifices I wasn’t willing to make. Sure; I wanted Benton to have a great life, but I also wanted to have a great life, without the responsibility of fully owning a child.
That’s when I had the idea to timeshare Benton.
After seeing what other people, places and things had to offer, I realized I just wasn’t as passionate about Benton I was about the other things in my life, like spending time in our actual timeshare in Miami, Florida. Sure, I loved Benton, but I realized loving Benton would be more fun if parenting him took place for only two weeks at a time and was split between several other couples on a right-to-use basis. Now, being a parent is a paradise!
Having a child was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. But allowing people to have partial ownership in Benton for an allotted period of time was also one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. And Benton is fine with it too, probably. Who knows? He’s still a baby and can’t talk. He looks very confused all the time, but I’m sure that’s just from all the fun and excitement of a timeshare.
Timesharing my only son has also been a great exercise in letting go. After all, I can’t tell other couples what to do when they have their share of Benton. For example: if they want to rent out Benton to other couples through an independent exchange company, that’s their prerogative, as long as they still pay their annual maintenance fee for their stake in Benton. That’s just the cost we have to pay for the freedom and flexibility of a timeshare!
I learned that as a mother, you don’t need to be there for every moment. A retired couple of Wisconsin who has an equal stake in your child four months out of the year (we call them “Grandma” and “Grandpa” but I think that’s due to a privacy clause in the contract) can be there for some of those moments. And while a part of me will always wish that I could be there to witness Benton’s first sentence (which was “You just have to sit through a brief presentation”), the “me time” I got was invaluable.
And if you want a share of Benton, just let me know. Seriously, the more people who can take this kid off my hands, the better.
