Chase home safe, Mamas and my weakness

Chase and his young traveling companions got home safely last night. I have very few details on the flight either way or on the events of his stay in Costa Rica, but Mama told me the first thing he wanted when he got to the apartment was a bowl of cereal. Since Mama generally keeps fifteen or twenty boxes, I do know he had plenty to choose from.
Last time I drove to Florida I got all the opened boxes of cereal out of the cabinet to take to Cori and the kids. I loaded up twelve boxes, none of which were duplicates one of another. I did not realize how vast a variety she kept on hand. But in her defense, we usually have several younger eaters in the house and their tastes often require a variety of choices. At the very least it makes them happy to have several choices to pick through.
I was also told that Chase likes the fact that our toilets can be flushed without the fear of plugging. That appears to have been a continual worry for him when he was out of the country. I will have to tell him that if his travels had taken him further to the east, flushing toilets would have been the least of his worries.
I asked Mama last night if she and I had a problem, a weakness, in that we were constantly surrounding ourselves with children. I was a little worried that we may not actually be as happy when we are alone together as we think we are. We can be a couple of mildly boring old fogies when there is not a cup to be filled, a snack to be served or an appointment to be kept.
But really I know that is not the case. Our children will tell anyone who might ask that Mama and I enjoy each other’s company very much; they are always telling us to “get a room.” However, I have discovered over the years that it is better to ask than to assume since my way of thinking is incredibly different from hers.
I told some friends of ours many years ago that children add dimension to your life and I stand by that. We have very good friends who were not able to have children and had no interest in adopting. I am sure they are enjoying their life together, but my life with Mama Kim and the children (and grandchildren) we surround ourselves with, is an absolute blast.
So if this is a weakness in our character or relationship, it is one we are willing to suffer with – at least for another thirty or forty years. Her answer, by the way, was very Mama Kim. “We do okay when it’s just the two of us, don’t we?”
I can’t tell you how I responded to that. It would embarrass our children.