Missing Gracie

Another child left me. It's like we've raised them to be independent and self-functioning people. UGH.

Last week, Gracie went to Palm Beach with one of her besties, Rosie. Rosie's dad lives there, so she brought Gracie along on one of her weeks staying with him and his family.

It was Gracie's first time away from the family for longer than a day or two. What is it with my children trying to abandon me this summer?! It's like we've raised them to be independent and self-functioning people. UGH.

I really missed that little goober this week. Gracie is my little shadow. She and I spend a lot of time together, which we both constantly complain about. But then we end up feet to feet on the couch reading and kicking each other for an hour. Or we end up floating in the pool and splashing each other. Or we end up wandering around Ulta together spending money that neither of us should be spending.

WE CAN'T HELP THAT WE ARE OBSESSED WITH EACH OTHER. LET US LIVE.

Turns out, though, I missed Gracie in ways I wasn't expecting. Specifically around bedtime. I didn't realize until she was gone how often Gracie tucks me in bed at night. It's almost every night! I go to bed around 8:30 or 9:00, which is way earlier than anyone else in my house. Gracie always follows me to bed and it DRIVES ME CRAZY. I want to do my bedtime routine by myself! I want some quiet time by myself! I want to wash my face and put tanning lotion on my legs and read my book and not talk to anyone before I go to sleep.

But Gracie crashes that almost every night. She gets in bed next to me and snuggles while I complain about personal space. She pats me on the head or boops my nose while I whine about me time. She smiles and makes pouts faces at me while I tug the covers back over me.

But then, without fail, she will pull the covers down and tuck them in under my chin. She'll turn my lights off. She'll turn my fan on. She'll kiss me on the cheek. She'll say goodnight. And then she leaves. It happens almost every night. And apparently it is a routine I am completely dependent on because the first night she was away, I sat in my bed and thought, "Who's going to turn my light out?" like I had no hands on the ends of my arms.

I talk a big game of raising independent children for someone who can't go to sleep at night without their teenager tucking them into bed...