I’m sitting in the Target parking lot charging my car. Per usual, I forgot to charge it overnight. I’m on my way to the airport to take the kids to a concert in Chicago. That wouldn’t be weird under most circumstances, but in this case, it is. I’ll be on the same flight as the kids and their dad. It’s his weekend and he’s responsible for them, but I’m taking them to the concert. Hence the title.

He paid for the tickets. They were a birthday present for my daughter. I would have purchased them, but the concert was almost sold out, so I asked if he had any connections to help secure decent tickets. He asked for my budget, and the next time I heard from him, he’d purchased the tickets. That wasn’t my intention but also not something I’m going to complain about.

Even though I have generous spousal support, he makes significantly more money than I do. I have to budget for big purchases, but he can swipe a card without thought and go on with his day. On the flip side, he doesn’t always show up at the kids’ activities, while I’m there every time. This is the norm. Life has always been this way, even before divorce.

Anyway, I’ll be on the same flight with wasband and the kids. We’ll get off the same plane and walk through the airport at the same time. We’ll exit the airport, and I’ll have to decide between riding with them and the private driver or getting an Uber to my hotel. The first option logically and financially makes sense. We’re going to the same place. He has an apartment in the city and my hotel is a few blocks away so that I can meet the kids for the concert. It doesn’t make sense for me to spend my own money when we’re starting and ending in the exact same place with our children. But it still feels extremely weird to me.

We’re not a family anymore, but this is what coparenting has become. We both show up in our specific roles to accomplish whatever the kids need. More often than not, he pays for things, and I take it from there. But I’ll always think twice before doing anything—including asking the kids for “permission”. Before I bought my plane ticket, I asked them if it would be weird for me to be on the same flight because we aren’t traveling as a family. They said they’re cool with it, so I’ll go with the flow.