Sadie and Doug (parent chaperone) are on an overnight school camping trip, which left me & Paige on our own for a night. I honestly can't remember the last time that happened!
Date Night
Our afternoon/evening went something like this:
School top-up session: Doug & I do extra school work with the girls ~3 afternoons a week, to ensure they stay on top of their equivalent American curriculum & subject competencies.
Dinner planning: We scoured the fridge & pantry drawers to pull together something for dinner. The fridge was practically overflowing with leftovers, so little to no heavy lifting in the meal prep department was required, which was nice.
Outdoor play: With dinner under control, we headed out for a session of badminton, trying to constantly beat our number of rallies. We were pretty proud of ourselves a few times :) On the way back into the house Paige sweetly had her arms around me. For a girl that is choiceful about how she shows affection lately, I leaned in and wasn't the first to let go.
Movie & Chocolate: Weekday treat! I let Paige lead movie selection. She narrowed it down to a few and ultimately chose Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. Not a movie genre we typically watch but it ended up being quite entertaining (minus inappropriate language at times). Paige recognized what a special thing it was to get to watch that movie (wouldn't have been one we would have shown to Sadie) and enjoy a chocolate bar, all the while :)
My Ah-Has
Getting to have 1:1 time with Paige was brilliant. We've enjoyed an abundance of quality family time since we hit the road last July/August. But we haven't had nearly enough 1:1 time with the girls as we should/could. Paigey/Mommy time meant my undivided attention & focus was given to Paige for more than a small chunk of time, and we both tremendously benefited from that meaningful connection shift.
We also benefited from the absence of the sibling dynamic during our time together. Paige is a super driven, competitive, motivated girl. She & Sadie inevitably clash at times. Mostly when Paige makes "one-up" statements to her sister, things like "I woke up first! ", "I'm done brushing my teeth first!", "My handstand was straighter!" It's not done maliciously, but it leads to friction between them at times. The girls are amazingly kindred, kind spirits to each other 90% of the time, but it was nice to exit from the 10% rut for our 1:1 overnight together. Removing that dynamic from the picture meant Paige engaged in a calmer, more reasonable, playful and innocent way. It also meant she appreciated seeing her sis even more when they were reunited. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder; the two of them were soooo excited to see each other when Sadie returned from camp, Paige enthusiastically peppering her with countless questions.
Net, net: Quality Mommy/daughter time together emotionally connects, restores and re-balances everyone. And it's just plain fun & special! A great nudge to make sure we're more intentional about carving out 1:1 time with the girls more often. A win/win for all!
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