not ready, yet

for the majority of my youth,
we did not live in the same
town as my grandparents, or any other relatives.
we saw them often enough,
but they were not right down the street.
having so much family in one place
is difficult for me.

there was a time when we lived
in the same town as my dad's parents.
i have memories of spending the night,
watching dukes of hazard,
charlies angels, and sleeping in
my beloved aunt molly's bed.

my age was 5 or 6 years old.
not two years old.

ph and i have had a running disagreement lately.
when is the appropriate time to let chace
spend the night away from home?
more specifically, at his grandmother's house.

not because, we are out of town
or sick or there is some kind of emergency.
the reason according to ph:
"is that is what grandkids do".

i do not agree with him.
i think there is no reason
for him to spend the night at two years old.
i am not saying never.
i am saying wait until he is old enough to
really enjoy all the spending
the night out  entails,
when he is old enough to look fondly
on that experience.

chace is much like me when
it comes to sleep.
i have a pretty good idea
that he is going to be the kind of kid
who wants to come home at 10pm.
i could be wrong, but i recognize the signs.

i have been thinking about
this a great deal lately.
trying to figure out i am so reluctant.
and the bottom line is i am not ready.
kids grow so fast, there will be a time when
chace can not wait to get out of our house.
i am in no hurry to have him spend the night out.

i know that i can not keep him little forever,
but i dont want to rush his growing up just yet.