Sisterchicks on the Loose by Robin Jones Gunn Page B

our kids were just coming home from school. I talked to Kaylee and Josh for a quick five minutes and told them to tell their dad everything was fine with me. Josh asked why I hadn’t called yesterday, and I tried to explain the time change and the long flight.
    My tenderhearted ten-year-old said, “Mom, could you call us every day when we get home from school? Then I won’t miss you so much.”
    “Honey, it’s the middle of the night here. I won’t be able to call you every day at this time because normally I’ll be asleep.I’m awake now because we just got here a little while ago, and we’re still up.”
    “Oh. Well, can you call us other times?”
    “Sure. I’ll call you whenever I can, okay?”
    “Okay. Mom, can we eat the rest of the cake?”
    “What cake?”
    “Gramma Gloria brought a cake over yesterday, but I didn’t get any ‘cuz Dad said I had to do my spelling homework first, but after I did it, he said it was too late, and I had to go to bed.”
    I was glad to hear that my mother-in-law was feeling well enough to bake a cake and bring it to my family. “Is your homework done for today, Josh?”
    “Mom, it’s Friday.”
    “Oh. How did you do on your spelling test?”
    “Not good. But could I still have some cake?”
    I couldn’t remember a time I ever had parented like this over the phone. I was the one who always was home. Monitoring snacks and helping with homework was my career.
    “Yes, you may have a piece of cake. And Josh?”
    “No, Mom, it’s me, Kaylee. Josh went to get some cake.”
    So much for my son’s missing me!
    “Are you and Aunt Penny having fun yet?”
    I had to think about my answer. Had any of this trip actually been fun yet?
    “It’s been an adventure,” I told her.
    “Do you think Dad would let me have a few of my friends stay over tonight?”
    “How many is a few?”
    “Just four. Rachel, Laurel, Sarah, and Emma.”
    “What did your dad say?”
    “I didn’t ask him yet. I thought if you said it was okay, then he wouldn’t mind.”
    “Kaylee, you need to ask Dad. He’s coordinating all the schedules while I’m gone.”
    “But you always say yes.”
    “Dad will probably say yes, too. But you need to ask him.”
    Kaylee sighed. “Okay. Well, I hope you guys have fun.”
    “Thanks, honey. Love you.”
    “Love you, too. Bye.”
    Penny talked with her kids much longer than I did. She asked for specifics about their homework and Nicole’s practice for a play she was in at church. Penny gave them all kinds of details about our trip, including the sick baby, my lost luggage, and our deluxe hotel room.
    I realized I hadn’t told my kids anything about what had been happening with me. I wondered if I never had specifics to talk about in my daily routine at home, and therefore they were used to everything being centered on them.
    Penny’s kids seemed to be more involved in her life. Was that because she had more of a life than I did? Or was it because she opened up more to her kids? What would Kaylee have said if I told her I threw away my clothes? It didn’t seem like a topic worthy of pricey long distance phone minutes. But then, what had we discussed with those pricey minutes? Cake and friends coming over.
    I remembered when our kids were babies and Penny would come to me for advice on everything. I liked being the expert. My first two were born before her Noah arrived, so I had plenty of advice when it came to diaper rash and preparing children for the first day of kindergarten. As I listened to Penny relating so openly with her three kids on the phone, I thought Icould learn a few things from her. In all our years of friendship, I’m not sure I ever had that thought before.
    Is it possible that arrogance can masquerade as being “more experienced”? Did I think all these years that I was better than Penny simply because I didn’t have all the childhood and teen stuff to get over?
    That was the last thought I had before falling into a deep sleep.