The Challenge of Five

Living alone is easy. Add one more person to the equation and it becomes a bit more challenging – especially when that person is a 13 year old. But in time, we figured it out. Somewhere in there, Beatrice joined us. With Thanksgiving came the joy of the five of us together for the week.

And then reality set in as Tony and Sana began their trek back to New Hampshire. Our household of two was now a household of three as Sean made himself a home with us.  For the first five years of Sean’s life it was just he and I. How difficult could it be to have my 22-year-old son living with me again? A mother couldn’t ask for a better son. He is loving, kind, intelligent, and hard-working. He has grown into a fine young man who has lived on his own for the past three years. He has his own way of doing things.  I have my way of doing things. Needless to say, the two clash a bit. I tend to go with the flow and do things (supper, adventures, etc) as the mood strikes. He likes to plan everything under the sun including a specific arrangement of where things are located in the kitchen – oftentimes out of my reach. While I am reaching for things just out of grasp, Sean and Patti are working to determine how their relationship works under the same roof.

Just as we start to find a rhythm as a unit of three, Christmas  brought Tony and Sana back to us for two weeks. Laughter and screaming filled the air. Window shades opened at the first hint of sunlight (to take advantage of solar energy). Dishes overflowed in  the sink. Food gone in the blink of an eye. Sean asking each morning, “What’s the plan for today?” My quiet refuge turned into a three-ring circus.

Yesterday, we spent the day together going out to lupper (lunch and supper) and then to a movie. We sang in the car all the way to Raleigh. Tony and I showed affection to each other as the kids freaked out. A family reunited.  I went to bed with a good feeling inside.

When I awoke this morning, the challenge of five began anew. Five more days of the five of us together. Difficult? Yes. Worth it? For sure.