Kids are not dogs. Harlan will never switch over the laundry and cook dinner because your bike broke down. You will have to walk your bike home and still do your laundry and make dinner. The dogs will not take care of each other either.

it would complicate my life more to tell my mother in law "sorry I won't see you on Saturday. I want to go somewhere else and read a book."

also, when I had kids at home, other moms provided a mutual support system - which is technically more complex than just solving all your own problems, but not harder.