4am

4am is the hour of innocence. Laying wrapped in blankets with my eight year old. Waiting for the next bolt of lightning. FLASH!!! One-one-thousand, two-One-thousand...CRASH! GRUMBLE! CRASH!! I smile in the dark once again, and wait for the next flash...my arms wrapped around him so tight. The sheer anticipation is so exciting. At about four am, my son climbed into bed with us. Something about a dream or something. I just cover him up and head back to slumber. My husband doesn't understand this, but this is just what we do. Anyway, just then we hear the loudest thunder crash over the ocean about a block from our house. My son was so scared. I love it so much. So, I reassured him by teaching him to count after you see the flash of lightning. I'm unaware if there is any scientific significance, but we enjoy the belief that each second counts as one mile. Meaning that 3 seconds in between lightning and thunder means that it is three miles away. Pretty soon, I was no longer counting. The enjoyment of listening at this point was too much. As he counted and realized that 20 seconds meant that the thunder was over now, he grabbed my hand and said "good night mamma".

So what if I lost some sleep. So what if my husband rolls away from me. Screw all of the people that say I'm damaging my kids by letting them into my bed. They are only little for so long. I am going to let them come into my bed for as long as they still want to. I gained a lifelong memory. Some of the best memories I have from the past ten years are in the wee hours of the morning. There is such serenity at night. The time of night that you hear the ocean roaring and the wind whistle through the trees outside. No traffic, talking or television. Nobody bothers me then. Whether it's snuggling a sick kid or nursing a baby, count me in.

Mid morning I was making breakfast in the kitchen. The kids were stooped by the window whispering to each other. It's not so often these days that they get along! Eavesdropping is an act I would recommend to all parents. They had heard the thunder and were trying to see the lightning during in the daylight. Awesome! I just walked away and let them continue. These are precious moments.

My words to pass on...let yourself just enjoy your kids. I know how easy it is to tell them to get in their own bed or that you're too busy to read with them. I have been there. I was a single mother, working 60+ hours a week and still coaching sports and over committing myself to everything. It is common for parents to get caught up in their own lives. I urge you to get silly today. Just turn up the music and sing badly at the top of your voice. Your kids will gain strength of character from this and not worry so much about what others think of them. Some of the best memories are made unintentionally.