Part of Mission Keep Alexis from Realizing this is the Most Boring Summer Ever has been setting her up for fun with friends. It's hard to be bored when surrounded by your besties. That has led to multiple sleepovers.
Multiple in one weekend, even.
Anybody want to tell her how crazy fortunate she is? She doesn't believe me. Instead, I hear "Can I sleep over again?" It's as if the kid prefers to sleep anywhere but at home. If she must sleep at home, she wants company. (Least shocking fact ever? Least shocking fact ever.)
I remember being the same way. The difference is that I never wanted to sleep at my house, not even if there were friends joining me.
The other difference is that I never worried about what I might have missed. I knew the answer was "nothing" so I didn't bother to ask. Alexis, on the other hand, thinks about these things.
This past weekend was the beginning of cheer season, which meant that Alexis had to report for yelling and clapping at ARE YOU KIDDING ME o'clock. I'm not the only one who isn't a fan of delivering a kid somewhere early on a weekend, so a friend's mom and I made a deal. She took one night/morning, we took the other. Two sleepovers in two nights.
Through it all, Alexis ended up at her friend's house for a whole 24 hours. Not that long ago, that would have left her needy and whiney and all up in my business, but she's older and more mature these days. She didn't even call me.
Which, the hell? Who told the kid she was allowed to grow up enough to not need me for an entire day? BLURGH.
At the conclusion of the 24 hours, I expected a chatty, excited Alexis to be all sorts of interested in everything I was doing. I figured she would be attached to my hip and ready for all kinds of attention.
I was wrong.
Instead, she was all up in Mila's business. She kissed the Tiny Human on the top of the head, chatted to her for several minutes, and generally smothered her with love. Then, Alexis turned to me with a worried look on her face.
"Mom, did she laugh yet?" she asked.
"Nope," I replied. "Not yet." I had explained to Alexis that Mila's first laugh might be weeks away, but it could happen any time now. There's no predicting it.
Alexis' face lit up as she retorted, "Good. I don't want to miss anything she does."
I totally and completely agree.
