I miss my little children. I love my teenagers very much, of course. But I miss being able to take care of them like I did when they were little: pulling them onto my lap and smothering them with kisses, being the recipient of energetic, spontaneous hugs and kissing the top of their heads (I still get hugs, but now I can't even see the top of their heads), tucking them snugly into bed and knowing I could keep them safe from just about anything bad. Now, of course, things have changed, which is what has to happen and what should happen. They are almost adults. They come say goodnight to me when I'm in bed, and then go off to their rooms for (occasionally) a little more homework or (usually) a little more texting.
But when they go out at night, I provide turn-down service. It's a nice way to remind them that I still want them to be comfy and cozy, and that home is still a refuge from the rest of the world. Bed is one of my favorite places, and, if I do say so myself, I excel at making a deliciously comfy bed (which is both blessing and curse--makes it hard to get out of in the morning). First of all, I make the bed (if it isn't already--I only make their beds on school days) so that the sheets are smooth and tucked in properly. Then I get to pretend I work at Bed Bath & Beyond (which I'm guessing probably isn't quite as fun as you'd think...), and I plump up their pillows and turn back a corner of the sheet and the quilt to make the bed look as inviting as possible. Finally, I turn on the bedside lamp (that has, naturally, an incandescent lightbulb), rather than the overhead light, which makes the room seem even cozier and nest-like. They can fall into bed, reach over to turn off the lamp, and let their cares and worries wait until the morning.
I think it's pretty hard being a teenager these days, probably a lot harder than when I was one. Providing turn-down service to my fast-growing children (who really aren't children at all anymore) may seem a bit silly, but it's a nice little treat for them to come home to, and it makes me feel a whole lot better.
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