I’ve never had the chance to miss you, my boy.

I’ve been at home with you since you were born, over five and a half years. The longest I’ve been apart from you is three hours for a few mornings a week of preschool and the odd shopping trip, movie night or weekend away. I’ve never had the opportunity to miss you on a daily basis.

There were many days when it was rare for you to be more than an arm’s length away from me. We were together a lot.

When your little sister was tucked in for her afternoon nap, we built Lego. You soaked up the time alone with me. We had two overloaded drawers of Lego and two hours of quiet; our silence punctuated only by, “Can you find Batman’s head?” and “I need help getting these pieces apart!” and “Don’t look! I’m not finished yet!” Sometimes I’d doze off on your bed while you built. You didn’t mind. My presence was what you wanted.

You are in kindergarten now. I think you are doing okay. I hope so. I try not to worry that you might be playing alone at recess. I pray.

Now when your sister naps you aren’t here. I have a glorious two hours of time to myself, time I’ve been looking forward to for months. It’s a treat, but I do miss you.

Our Lego time is on the weekends or in the evenings now. It’s far more meaningful.

Our laughter together is louder and mine more genuine when you announce “I tooted Momma!” or some other silly thing.

I listen to you more carefully when you chatter away happily about school because I haven’t been listening to you all day long.

I don’t mind when you charge into the house after school like a runaway train, your backpack, bike helmet and Superman lunch bag flying around the living room. The mess is the only one you’ve made all day.

I see you, really see you, when you look at me. I’m more curious about how you feel because I haven’t been there all day to hear what makes you sad or excited or angry.

I’m more willing to answer your endless “why?” questions because I haven’t had a steady stream of them like I used to.

When we sing our off-key bedtime duets to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The Rainbow Song I think our voices mixing together may just be a little preview of what heaven sounds like.

When I wake up in the night and you’ve snuck into the middle of the big bed, with your little breaths and your hair that smells like sunshine, your arm flung on my back, I think about how lucky we are to have a snuggly nighttime visitor for a little while longer.

You give me loud, smacking kisses on my cheek. You hug me tighter and neither of us lets go as fast as we used to.

This kindergarten thing is not so bad. It’s exactly what we needed. I love you.

(An earlier version of this post was published on The Purple Fig.)