The Weekend Six

Inevitably, on Monday morning, someone me will ask me how my weekend was and I answer, “Every weekend I have is great.  How was yours?”  For the most part, over the past seven years, what I say is a true statement. I’m either spending the weekend with the kids, or spending the weekend with LOML.

In the current teenage world in which I reside, some weekends are better than others. Those are the weekends when I get a couple hours of quality time with Paige and Tony —- not chauffeuring, without an endless stream of friends, and without competing with their devices. I reserve the “great” part for Sunday evening and by Monday morning I am able to answer honestly.

On the weekends I don’t have the kids, LOML and I are out on adventures —- walks, bike rides, motorcycling, drinking, eating and laughing. Always laughing. So “every weekend is great” just rolls off the tongue.

Yet, over the past seven years, I have also had “awesome” weekends.

This weekend was one of those.

When LOML and I met, our kids were all under 10 years old. Now, they are all teenagers. Each one of them is very unique, with very unique humor, personalities, insecurities and tastes. We started introducing them to each other every once in awhile —- testing the waters to see if the personalities would meld together, but not forcing it on them. LOML and I agreed that this was how we wanted it. And we prayed (well, I did) that even if they didn’t get along, they would tolerate each other and respect our relationship.

We did well. LOML’s son is 16, and works double shifts at a restaurant. So, our expectations in seeing him were low. Yet, in between shifts he stopped over. The kids put down their devices and the six of us hung out together —-laughing and telling stories. No one wanted it to end, so prior to the start of the second shift, we decided we’d have s’mores and junk food around the fire pit when the shift was over. We asked each kid if that was what they wanted and each kid said, “hell, yes!”

I am so grateful for the love all six of us have for one another. Our children love our relationship, and dare I say it, they love each other.   I have a vision from this weekend that will forever be engrained in my memory. After the s’mores, and some of the laughter had died down —-when it was dark enough to see the stars as clearly as we could —- Tony laid down on the ground and looked up.

He called out to me first, “Come here, mom.  Look up.”  So I laid down next to him. Then Paige came over and laid down, then LOML and his son and his daughter. The six of us laid next to each other and looked at the stars.

Let me rephrase that. Four teenagers on a Saturday night with social lives and other friendships, stayed home and hung out with their parents —- willingly. And then these teenagers looked up at the stars with us.

I teared up while we lay there, telling each other to shut up, and lobbing insults back and forth.   This morning, my eyes watered with thankfulness and love.

Yes,  our children are products of split families, but what a wonderful alternate family we’re creating. We may not get another moment or weekend like this again —ever—- so it falls under the category of one of the best weekends of all time, filled with laughter, lots of swearing and an immense amount of respect and love between all six of us.

Yay us!