My Night

My kids came home from school and I did their homework with them as I cooked dinner.  I made roasted chicken thighs, my husband's favorite, and mock succotash. I was out of corn, but I added bacon and cream, so no one noticed.  We had a lovely dinner and then we put the kids to bed.  Well, all except E.  She needed to read a story for school and since my kids are required, by me, to read every night, she chose to do her school reading then.

She climbed into my bed and began reading.  She was reading very monotone.  She is, after all, deaf.  I said, wait, listen.  I read the way she was reading and then I read with pauses and inflection.  We have done this many times before, but it is an area she has struggled with. I asked her which sounded better.  Which sounded more interesting.  She thought my way did, so I said you try.  She said OK and began to read and by golly if she didn't get it!  She sounded awesome!  I could hear the difference in her voice and so could she. The Marine and  I sat there listening to her and marveled at the progress this child has made.

Later on in the evening our 14 year old, M, came to us to talk about being a foreign exchange student somewhere.  We have talked about this pretty much every night for a month.  We told her she could enroll in the program her sophomore year. She wants to go this year.  She also wants to go to England.  We said no to England.  If we are paying that kind of money she is going to have to learn a different language and experience something far more unique than England.  She is determined to go to England so she brings it up daily, each time with a new perspective for us to think about.  We listen and then say Not. Gonna. Happen. But, last night she says, "What if I work for the money and pay for it myself?" Now, she has our attention.

My husband and I look at each other and I say to her, "If this is something that is that important to you, that you are willing to work for and pay for the trip, then yes, absolutely you may go to England." She said, "Really?"  My husband replied, "Really."  We just might be teaching her a thing or two.

Our 6 year old came off the bus all excited because he had lost his second tooth. He is the youngest and has been waiting and waiting to lose his first tooth and have the tooth fairy visit him.  He has now lost 2 in less than a weeks time.  Exciting! In our house the tooth fairy brings books and just in case, it is the fairy's busy season, my husband ran out to the bookstore to get a few things.  While he was gone M said to me "I don't want to go to school tomorrow."  This is from a straight A student who adores school, so I asked why.  She told me she just didn't feel like it, so, of course, I said, "You're going."  She said "You wanna fight?" "If I win, I can stay home?"

You all know I said, "Yes, lets go."  I started tossing little hits her way.  When I say hits, I mean I am more than an arms length a way, not really near her and I am not even extending my arm.  Never touched her, plus we are laughing and chit chatting at the same time.  So, I am tossing my hits, all of which she deflects.  Eventually, I say, "At some point you have to stop being on the defense." "You have to stop deflecting and start being on the offense."  "You have to throw some punches yourself."  She drops her hands to her side, looks at me sweetly and says, "I can't." "I just can't." I drop my hands too, wrap my arms around her and with tears streaming down my face say, "You know, I just want you to be safe?"  She says she knows.  I hold her for a little while longer when she says, "You know, I could knee you in the crotch right now?" I pulled her in a little a tighter, smile and say, "Yes and if you did, I would be so proud." She giggles her cute teenage giggle, I kiss her on the check and she skips, literally, off to bed.

My husband came home from his errand and did the fairy thing then we went to bed.  We chitchatted about different things for an hour or so. After my husband turned off the light, I smiled again and thought, man I love these people.  I feel an overwhelming sense of joy.  I am so very, very blessed. Being with them is one of my most favorite places to be.