My youngest children are far from being children. Teenagers but adults in many ways, and yet always my children. Their habit for the last few weeks has melted my heart. House rule is that all devices are charged downstairs at night. They push for the latest possible break off point before I put on the alarm and downstairs becomes lava. But, once the line is drawn, and the alarm is on, they are nowadays to be found chattering away quietly and softly in the dark. My youngest daughter goes to bed and her brother takes up residence on a chair near her bed.



Once, bedtime talk was ‘at’ me and often was about offloading bad stuff from the day. Falling asleep now means I am lulled by the sound of them talking softly together, about who knows what. Sometimes they are serious, sometimes there is giggling, sometimes they sing (this includes songs I find beautiful, daft stuff and reciting somebody else’s rap). They are still perfectly capable of anger and fall-outs, but this close-the-day meeting has so far only been about friendship. It’s the stuff I could only dream of for them. 



When life was ‘normal’ this would have been impossible. Early commutes and classes before school meant our wake-up time was at least an hour earlier than it currently is. That alone had me pretty strict with sleep times. Now I can be relaxed about so much more. And we all reap that benefit.



I know there are far more downsides than upsides in this pandemic (and they affect me too) but I hope hearing about some of the upsides might help you find some comfort inside this cell we are all in. 

Has an unexpected upside arrived for you? 

Love from

The room above the garage 

A Moodscope member.