There’s a point in the evening when I’m ready for the house to get quiet and the kids still have more to say. They might want to explain something funny or tell me a story that takes a few turns before it gets anywhere. I can catch myself looking at the clock while they’re still finding the words.

I’ve been thinking about what I actually want to remember about this part of life. A lot of it is probably tucked into those last few minutes of the day. It’s the way a story sounds when a kid tells it, with a detail I would have left out turning out to be the whole reason they wanted to tell me.

There are nights when we really do need to get to bed. There are also nights when I can stay for the rest of the story. I want to notice the difference before I hurry us along.