Having the twins over for an overnight is not really what I’d consider babysitting anymore. First of all, they’re no longer remotely close to babies – at eleven years old they are quickly turning into young adults, the way children get way older way too quickly these days. It goes by even faster when you don’t get to see them very often, so what may seem like an eternity to them feels like a split second to me. Second, babysitting indicates a great deal of hand-holding and watching, and both Emi and Noah are old enough to largely take care of themselves, which is rather nice. I’m much better at relating to a self-sufficient person than one who needs constant pampering and care.
So it was that I invited them over to our home for some end-of-summer swimming and an overnight in the attic loft. They’d seen the room when it was first revamped and were excited to stay there on their own. Spending a late summer night there would hopefully imbue it with a happy memory from the beginning. Before that, however, there was pool – outside and inside. The former allowed some childhood energy and exertions to be spent before bedtime, and the latter afforded them the opportunity to hone their pool-playing skills in the basement.
They’d been itching to go swimming at night with the pool light on since we re-did the pool last year, and the wait was worth it. I went in with them and played their games (they’re big on pretending that one of us was dead and needed rescuing, and who am I to psychoanalyze that kind of crazy-ass shit?) Once that was done, we went back up to the attic for an impromptu fragrance testing and rating. They each got to try a selection of scents while blindfolded at their insistence so they couldn’t tell which was which, and decide their favorite. Noah had the most expensive taste, selecting a Tom Ford as his favored cologne -‘Beau de Jour’ – while Emi went for the exquisitely floral ‘Mimosa & Cardamom’ by Jo Malone.) Then it was time for popcorn and the movie.
Deciding on a movie to watch is an ordeal that usually ends in an argument, so I set up a bracket of sorts, where the three of us would vote on which movies we wanted to see advance, until we had one clear winner. Uncle Al was actually less of a deciding vote than I expected (or may have wanted) so for the most part they were in agreement on what they wanted to see. From a pool of sixteen candidates, we whittled it down to the ultimate winner – ‘Stardust’ – which was way longer than I realized – a lesson for the next time we do this, when I will keep run-times in the forefront of the available offerings.
I read them a quick bedtime story – really for this photo op only, as you may sense from the foolishness seen here. Tucked in around midnight, they were on their own, and once my head hit the pillow I was out. Kids are exhausting in the best possible way. The next day Emi and I went out for cider doughnuts while Noah opted to stay home with Andy and practice his billiard skills. It was the perfect summer sleepover, marking the last moments of freedom before school began. Next up will be the annual Treasure Hunt, when October arrives…
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