Persistence is hereditary

Children must come out of you innate with the knowledge that nagging a parent to death is a surefire way to eventually get your way.

My children have been nagging me all year to go stay with my brother in Winslow.  My nephew and niece were up there spending a couple of weeks with him, and so my kids were "mom please please please" -ing me to death about going.

Nevermind that they've never been away from us like that.

That my brother exhibits, um, questionable judgement from time to time.  (Not that he'd ever do anything wrong in regards to my kids, but you know, just enough of a wild card to make me worry--albeit needlessly.)

I caved last week, and said they could go.  My brother picked them up on Tuesday.  Audrey stayed behind, as she is still too little for that kind of thing.

So my boys, 13, 11, and 8, are spending time with my brother, his wife, my almost-3-yr-old niece, and their 11 yr old cousin that they always see.  My other niece opted to stay in town here with her Mom (my bro's ex). 

I figured it would be good for them, to see it might not be a huge party every day, that they could be just as bored in someone else's house as in their own. 

Audrey is upset that they are gone, I get "My brothers" this an "My brothers" that all day long.   She is counting on her fingers every day--"Today is the third day," she says, holding up a finger, "two more days."   They will come home Monday night with my brother (he's coming into town again, so it worked out fine.)

I've talked to them on the phone, expecting, at the very least Ryan to cry a little that he misses me.

Nope.

"Yo,"  Nolan says when I get on the phone.

Ben acts like I am interrupting some serious business, and it sounds like Ryan is taking time out of his packed schedule to spare me a few words.

Yeah, my nose is a little out of joint. The house is way too quiet, and while I realize I was counting down the days till school starts last Sunday, I do miss them.  Alot.

I can't even make cookies.  I made some for Audrey, and there they sit, unscavenged.

I watch their shows or at least have them on as background noise, and when Mr W comes home, it's like the King is arriving, I'm so happy to see him.  I do fun stuff with Audrey, like taking her to the movies yesterday.  Where I instinctively looked for six seats together, in an empty theater, needing only two.  Sigh.

I'm going to have to get used to this.

But I'm not sure how.