winding down

The final hour or so of the day is the hardest for me as a parent (the first hour runs a close second): You've spent a day fitting the kids into your schedule while trying to ensure they (a) are stimulated and educated and (b) don't die while in your care. This can be exhausting. So when the witching hour rolls around, there is a mix of relief and slight trepidation as the bedtime ritual begins. The cousins were very helpful in book selection and attention span (and, man, can that Sophie read!). After the books, trying to get them to settle into sleep is like wrestling a bear to submission but when it comes you can finally sit and have an adult conversation and, quicker than you would like, you start to miss the same little cubs you were trying desperately to leave minutes earlier. The Parent Paradox.