My Ultimate Parenting Priority

I didn't realise this was it, until I had to justify it

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A few Saturdays ago, the day after my 40th birthday, actually, I was sat in my garden at 9pm, with a book and a big glass of water, and I got a text.

Can he ring you?

It was my mother. She meant my kid. He was on a sleepover, and had been since that afternoon, where my dad took him swimming and my brother and I went out for a 4.30pm late lunch at a restaurant I’ve been longing to try.

Sure, I text back, and then my kid was on the line telling me he missed me.

Can you come? he asked, eventually.

It’s been a very long time since he’s been unable to settle. He used to love a sleepover, and then hate a sleepover, and then he went back to loving them because instead of being in the single bed in the spare room, he gets to sleep in with mum and they make dad take the spare. Plus, my brother’s dog was there. Ted jumping up and licking him awake is one of my kid’s top two ways to wake up. The other one is naturally, but at Disneyland.

Of course I can come, I told him.

My father was furious.