Parenting Guru: Eight Feet and One TV

After dinner we all like to curl up on the couch (or if we're on vacation we pile on the bed) and watch TV. Mini-Me and I get sandwiched between Big Daddy and College Boy, (6'3 and 6'5), so it gets pretty cozy. After a few minutes of intense negotiations over what to watch (one wants a chick flick, the other an adventure) and who chose the movie last time, we all agree on a comedy. Then we try to agree on the volume. I think everything is too loud (I'm not old, I just have supersonic hearing) and they think nothing is loud enough.

And this is how it goes night after night. Side by side, pressed against each other without the awkward boundaries of typical teens. It's as if they're little again. Laughing and carefree, giving a recap of the funniest lines while the movie is still playing. I notice we even cross our feet in the same direction.

The sheer delight of hearing belly laughs after months of an exhausting and stressful college application period, plus final exams, is a gift. Next year, Mini-Me will go off to college too. And having everyone under the same roof at the same time will be a rarity. Every moment becomes precious. Even when we're arguing over the remote.

Carpool Goddess is a Shine Parenting Guru who only watches TV when her kids are home, because she doesn't know how to work the remote. This leaves her lots of time to play on Facebook and Twitter.