Out of nowhere last night, my tween asked if she could run with me today. I don’t know where it came from but can only guess it’s her way of letting me know she’s craving time alone with me.
For 8 years it was just her. No siblings and she got our undivided attention. She’s been a boss about splitting the time and if it bothers her she’s never let on. Sharing custody of her sucks since it cuts my already splintered time with her right down the middle. It never gets better. I never stop wishing she was with us and never will. Plus, these days she’s into the things tweens like – mood swings, back talk and her cellphone.
So, when she proactively asked me to go for a run I couldn’t get my shoes on fast enough. Even amidst the eye rolls, this little girl, the one who made me a mama, still can get me to do pretty much anything, ESPECIALLY if it involves spending time with her. And she must have enjoyed it too because two minutes into our run she asked if we could do it every day that she’s with me.
Sometimes because she’s so fiercely independent and in the thick of the years that she’d prefer the company of her friends, I feel like she doesn’t always miss the one on one time we used to have so much of. Today was a great reminder of how much we both love and need it. Because before her sister, before I remarried, it was just the two of us. Don’t forget about your big kids, they want their mamas too