I’m now that parent saving phone numbers according to my child’s friend’s name. 

(First name) Carol (Last name) Timothy’s Mum

And I have to navigate the awkward stuff from hearing how our children interact at preschool to figuring out the best way to respond to a Halloween invite on the spot. 

“We actually don’t do anything.” Or did I say “usually”? It’s foggy now. 

It wasn’t the time/place to talk about our family’s thoughts on Halloween. It was bad enough that I was tired and just wanted to get home. Chatty was not my mood. Explanations of any sort would have been laborious. It was nice to just plug her number into my phone and do that simple text exchange to give her mine. 

Tis the season for being grateful that Ella will not remember that when she was 1, we didn’t dress her up as a _____ and take her to the hot candy spots in the neighborhood. And tis the season for not fixating on it. 

Here’s to figuring out our family rhythms. We’ll see what year two brings.