It's ok to say I just want to stay home.

Our children are different. They are much the same. They do not like their calendar full of activities. They like the comfort of their home and their routine. Our daughter was invited to a weekend birthday party for one of her dearest friends. Her dilemma was being away from home the whole weekend. She likes her Saturday mornings. She likes to wash her clothes and spend leisure time on the deck reading her books. She actually enjoys going to church and misses it when she doesn't attend. As the weekend approached, so did her anxiety. She felt torn about saying no to the party. She just wanted to go home and do her own thing. After we ate lunch with her friends, she parted ways with them and apologized for not wanting to go spend the night. I could tell they could not understand how on earth she could turn down this opportunity. The whole time I am thinking, there is no way she is going to give up her down time. As she made the drive home, I asked her how she felt about the decision she made. She said it was complete relief. She knew she had done the right thing. I have had mothers tell me I have made our children this way. Maybe I have. If home has been too comfortable, I am sorry, I feel rewarded. If home has meant watching their favorite movie with popcorn and no interruptions, I am sorry. If home has meant late Saturday mornings with very little to do, I am sorry. Soon enough, they will need to stay up late, get up early, get a job, keep an agenda, make serious commitments. And they will remember those precious times when I stood beside them, more concerned with them being true to themselves than trying to be something they are not. That is complete relief for me and I am not sorry for that.