a new kind of quiet

you know that thing, when kids leave mom's side for a moment to go play in the other room, and everything seems perfectly wonderful (independent play!) until mom realizes hmmm...it's verrrrry quiet. a little too quiet. and that's when she knows: trouble. and she braces herself for crayon on the walls, lipstick all over the face, home-cut bangs, car keys in the potty, or worse?

that is a thing, right?

well. my kids are 5 and 9 so thankfully it isn't a thing too often around here. they go in the other room (independent play!) to play legos or barbies or cars or rainbow loom (currently the top 4 playthings) and i don't have to worry too much.

but the other day, after chores and schoolwork, they were both upstairs and i suddenly had a feeling that it was just a little too quiet up there. they had been upstairs for nearly an hour and i hadn't heard a peep. part of me was all PERFECT ANGELS! LET THEM BE! ENJOY THE QUIET TIME! and another part of me DON'T THEY NEED ME? WHO WANTS A SNACK?? WHAT IF A BOO-BOO NEEDS KISSING?? #helicoptermommuch 

naturally, i did what every mom does in that situation: i went upstairs to interrupt the quiet check on them.

and here's what i found:

just reading. immersed in books. lost in the tales. imaginations at work.  

(of course i had to grab my camera to document the moment, but they barely noticed me)

there's a new kind of quiet in our home. it's the sound of reading, and it is lovely. i'm so proud of them, and over-the-moon grateful to be their mom.

1537. two independent readers