Down Time : Ah, Time for a Parental Lullaby

Down Time starts at bedtime. The kids’ bedtime. Time to relax and pad downstairs for a cup of tea. Feet up, television on, splayed out on our comfy green sofa with a steaming cup of tea melting the day away. Perhaps a decadent snack we’ve managed to hide from the kids. Peace and quiet, a little conversation with the man I love.

My husband and I chat about our day, emptying our minds of worries and cares. Tea mug in hand, uninterrupted by bellowing toddlers or chatty salesmen, I can think. Such is bliss . . . until the midnight feeding.

--HELENE LESEL

Los Angeles