expected niceties

Family dinners are big in our house. We all sit to eat together, and use that time to talk about our days. There has been plenty of talk of the benefits to eating as a family (here, here, here for example), and while I do hope that this encourages Gwen to be more open with us and gives her a solid base which will help her thrive in school and avoid drug use (etc), really we just enjoy the time together. Those dinners are the biggest things I miss on yoga nights.

While not a replacement, I've started giving Gwen a call on yoga nights while her and Trav are driving home. They always have a great time on those nights, but I think she loves that Mommy calls just to talk to her. She tells me about her day, what she did and what she ate. Its a good thing she can't see me because some of her adultisms make me shake with unvoiced laughter. I love the, "Hold on one second, Mommy. I have to think about this." And the, "Hmm, after that... well, I just don't know what I did."

Listening to her brightens my day, and it makes me feel good knowing that a simple phone call can make her so happy too. She knows that I'm thinking of her, that I miss her, and that I love her.