When you are parenting teens, you spend a lot of time waiting.

In a car.

In a parking lot.

For a text.

For them to finalize their plans.

For them to want to spend time with you.

And then one day they exit their room and linger.

You hold your breath and drop everything so you can be with them.

All of the other stuff can wait.

They eat dinner.

They watch tv.

They chat about their day.

They sit at the piano and pluck out a song.

They play music on Alexa in the kitchen and sing.

And for a few hours they are back -

the carefree little kid version of them.

Letting you in for just a moment.

Then they retreat back to their teenage lives.

And until the next time, you wait.