New Mom: Parents' Night Out

I am thrilled that our Bright Horizons Child Care Center has announced that it will be offering a “Parents’ Night Out” on the Friday before Valentine’s Day. I think it’s creative, thoughtful and sounds fun for my daughter. The problem is, I’m not sure I’m really going to do it. In short, they are offering child care from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Friday night. They will serve dinner, get kids dressed in their pjs and have fun activities, all for a fee that is roughly equivalent to what I would pay for three hours of babysitting. But what to do with a 2-year-old daughter who never goes to bed after 8:15 p.m. at the absolute latest? They said they’d put younger children, or any others who want it, to bed on their nap mats earlier, if requested. But then I’d have to wake her to pick her up and take her home only to put her back to bed again. I’ve contemplated sending her for just the first hour or hour and a half to give her the change of pace of having dinner with her friends and teachers, which I think she might actually enjoy. But that would amount to a very expensive and brief Parents’ Night Out to the grocery store or some other mundane errand rather than the intended relaxing romantic dinner. I feel bad if I don’t support the center’s offering, because I really want them to know how much I appreciate it. On the other hand, I struggle with the fact that I just don’t think it’s the right fit for us this time around. I guess I hope there are many others who DO participate so that when our little one builds up the stamina to enjoy the occasional late night treat, they’re still offering it.