Yes. It's not them being around, it's being 'on'. Sometimes we'll go and stay with family or have them stay with us, and other people will be looking after the kids a lot - one of my nieces recently carried my youngest around for an entire weekend - like a doll. She's perfectly capable of walking but she's a second child so starved for attention so there were no complaints! Anyway, at first I feel freed, then after about a day I start to miss them. So there is no winnning.

I do fantasise about the time when they'll both be big enough to drop off to a Grandparent for a weekend and we can fly off on a little European city break (in this fantasy we are apparently made of money). But I know I will miss them then too.

The whole system stinks!