Reading Material On My Own

Kiki's favorite is Sadness, of course.

My husband is out of town so we're left to our own devices. There are definitely perks to having a spouse who travels a lot for work. For example, we keep it simple at meal time. We've had broccoli and veggie dogs for dinner the last three nights, and there hasn't been a single compliant. And, no one has tripped over a gigantic shoe left, unattached to a body, in the middle of the living room.
There are drawbacks, of course. The perks of low maintenance meals, and the absence of the lurking threat of tumbling over a Red Wing Boot are offset, most especially, at nighttime. After the sun sets, we go on lockdown. All curtains are tightly closed, home alarm activated, and lots of bravery pep talks are dispensed.
Aside from calming anxieties about a creaking house, especially with the windstorms were having this week, I have to reevaluate my nighttime reading materials. The two books I was reading, Science Fiction short stories and a book on the science of extraordinary psychic abilities, require the warm body of an adult laying next to me when I fall asleep, since I can easily talk myself into a state of sweaty hysteria after reading a sentence about encounters with another dimension/state-of-mind/reality.
It's perfect timing because I need to read a parenting book I set aside from boredom last month. Most parenting books can be condensed from 200 pages to a half page of bullet points, EASILY. The books repeat the same thing over and over again, it works better than NyQuil.
Yesterday, Kiki's teacher told me they are working on her "making friends," since she always tells her teacher she likes to play alone. At first, this was disturbing to hear because I don't want Kiki to be weird or different, so I signed her up for gymnastics on Fridays, to further expose her to social settings with kids her own age.
After telling my husband, mom and sister about the teachers desire to encourage Kiki to be more outgoing, I was given a different conclusion from each person. My husband thought she might be being bullied, and perhaps feels like she isn't in a safe environment. My sister sympathized for Kiki and thought her antisocial behavior is perfectly normal. She said she still remembers the anxiety she felt attending kids' birthday parties. My mom figured it's because Kiki is a slightly spoiled, alpha-dog who will not tolerate anyone telling her what to do. And, I thought Kiki is probably too smart for the classroom, and doesn't have anyone she feels she can connect to.
We went to an indoor playground a couple days ago, and a little girl followed Kiki around asking her to play with her. Kiki ignored her, and then followed the woman around who runs the center asking her questions. And that lady ignored Kiki. It was a weird chain of dismissive behavior. But I think Kiki is just very fond of adults, and has very little interest in children her own age.
Tonight, is the last night were having our stay-cation, so I better finish this parenting book. It puts me to bed so easily, even with a creaking house. I thought of the perfect solution; read the book on clairvoyance and psychic ability to a state of heart-racing worry, and because I don't have an adult here to protect me against the spirit world, then crack open the parenting book, and I will certainly make it through a couple chapters.

Rethink nighttime reading while husband away on business