Stealing a Moment

We stole an evening from our daughter Saturday night. Shhhh. Don’t tell her. We’re hoping she won’t notice. If she did, I think this is how she would describe it: “Nobody was around and nobody called me, so I sat home with the parents (ugh), watched a movie and ate Chinese food. B-O-R-I-N-G!”

Here’s how I’ll describe it: “Our daughter had no plans and neither did we and so we went to Blockbuster, chose a movie that we could all agree on (The Greatest Game Ever Played), and picked up Chinese food. It was really nice. For a couple hours, it felt like we were a family again, instead of a splintering unit headed in different directions connected only by cell phones.”

I treat these “stolen” moments like gold. They’re rare and really special to me. I completely understand that to a 14-year old, an evening like that is on par with a visit to the dentist – slightly painful and quickly forgotten. To me, it’s precious. For two whole hours, my daughter forgets that she doesn’t like me much or that I annoy her to no end. Too bad it can’t last.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the movie was great. Watch it with the whole family, if they’ll let you.