There are certain things you think you will hold fast to in your journey as a parent that you end up tossing along the wayside. Like a hair that was firmly attached to your head one moment and the next it’s come loose and you’re rolling down the window to cast it into the wind. For us, one of those hairs is bedtime expectations.

Almost every night John Robert sneaks out to watch the Orioles play with his dad. Likewise, Scout waits for her little sister to fall asleep then sneaks into my bed. It’s there she quickly falls asleep, and Nate later carries her back to her own room.

To see her sleeping there in my bed, close and warm and safe…it is honestly one of my most favorite things in the world. Something I know I will miss deep in my bones when she’s older. Something she will eventually stop doing.

Until that time comes, it’s a rule I delight in her breaking.