One of the many unwritten rules of motherhood is that moms are not allowed to get sick. Ever. Another one is: If you go away for a “girls-only” weekend, you will pay for leaving your family to fend for themselves like wild savages. Even if fending for themselves includes Dad treating them to dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant and taking them to a movie about dragons. Last week, these two rules collided when I returned from a women’s weekend at the Coeur d’Alene Resort. I brought home an unwanted souvenir: the World’s Worst Cold. You may think I’m exaggerating, but that would violate an unwritten newspaper columnist rule. Trust me when I say I was afflicted with an Uncommon Cold of Epic Proportion (UCEP)/Cindy Hval, Washington Voices. More here.

Question (for fathers): Do you handle the kids well when your wife is away for a "girls-only" weekend?