One of Dev’s favorite refrains is “Play with me!” Even though he just spent hours playing with his friends at school. It’s nice to be wanted, of course, but I can’t relate to his desire to be constantly engaged with someone else. We’re both only kids, he and I, yet we obviously have different ideas about personal time.

For me, personal time is hard to define. That’s why when I tell my husband that I want some time to myself, he doesn’t really understand what that is. He encourages me, though, with suggestions of going to the book store to have a cup of tea and read a magazine. This is a good idea, yes, but I return home a couple of hours later to the various sets of needy eyes upon me, human and animal alike.

What I need is an entire day. To myself. And I can’t remember the last time I had one.

So I’m going down to visit my mom tomorrow and I’m staying for a day and some change. There will be much talking and hopefully a visit to a coffee place I’ve heard good things about. I will be responsible for nothing other than being a good daughter, which has always been fairly easy with my mom. She’s swell.

I will miss my guys. And my girls (the pets). I will not regret having a bit of time for me, though.