The First Sleepover

Last week my parents were going to my brother’s place for just a day and they wanted to take Sarath along with them. I was not sure if he would stay overnight without me and his dad but, wanted to try it out. It is only an hour and a half drive to my brother’s place. Sarath was also very excited to go. He finished his dinner real quick and packed his bags. He also asked for one of his favorite soft toy to take with him. He packed his books and was all ready to go.

I explained to him that myself, his dad and brother would be here at home and only he is going. He wanted to go but kept saying that we should follow them in our minivan. Every time he said that, I told him we were staying here and he is going with them. Finally he was okay with it. When they left, he was very tired and sleepy. My mom told me that he actually slept on the drive and did not wake up until morning. Even after he woke up, he did not ask for us. He was very happy to be at his uncle’s place and had fun.

It did feel a little weird for me at home. I have never been away from him at night except for the couple of days in the hospital when Sanjay was born. Even then, DH was home with Sarath. I was also happy that he did not cry or ask for us. On their drive back, he wanted to talk to me. When they finally came back home, the first thing he told me was “I stayed overnight without crying amma…” That was the sweetest thing.

I really cannot believe that Sarath has grown so much that he can actually spend a night away from home. That’s a big step indeed!