Muffins with Mom – A family bonding moment

Family bonding

What happens when one of your children goes away to college? His sibling is left home with the parents. Some days it is really evident that my sixteen year old misses his brother. Like when he says, “I’m bored,” then wants to wrestle with me.

Now that football season has ended, my son has more time on his hands. The other day, after working late, then running errands, I arrived home ready to put my feet up and relax. No such thing occurred.

As soon as I slipped out of my shoes, I heard my son yelling from the other room, “Ma, come here.” When I opened his bedroom door, I saw that he held his dad captive, playing cards.

“It’s family night,” My son announced.

I smiled a fake smile as I said, “I don’t want to play, you guys go ahead.”

“No Ma, you have to play too.”

I slunk onto the corner of my son’s bed and picked up the cards he’d dealt. I released a deep sigh and organized the cards in my hand. When I looked up, my son was snuggled up next to his dad. He handed me his phone and said, “Take my picture, we’re bonding.”

My son snuggled closer as dad tried to pull away. He then looked at me and said, “This is what it looks like when it’s not your day to watch the kids and they want to bond.”

When I finished laughing, I found the energy to play cards a little longer. After all, if I refused to play, my son would snuggle up to me next and want to take a candid photo.

If his older brother was home, my son would not have the need to snuggle with me or his dad. Family bonding would still take place, it would just look a little different.

What was your most recent family bonding moment?