My 7-year-old and I have this ritual: Every night before bed he likes to relax for a few minutes in the bathroom and talk. It’s a special time that falls right after his evening snack and right before his bedtime story when just he and I are alone together and can unwind from the day without the distraction of electronic devices.

“Let’s talk, mom,” he’ll say, as he sits back on the toilet or settles into a bath. This is my cue to pull up the small stool we keep in the linen closet and take a seat. Last night the topic of conversation was the weekend. He was excited because we have a trip planned to a small resort on Lake Superior. It is a special trip because it will probably be the last one we make as a family of three. In June, his little sister will arrive. Owen listed all the things he was hoping to do on this trip – swim in the pool, go snowshoeing, roast marshmallows on the bonfire. Then he said, “You know mom, ‘S’ days are the best days.” I had to think about this for a minute. When he saw I was confused he explained, “’S’ days are Saturdays and Sundays, when you don’t have to work and we get to do fun stuff.” I told him that, as usual, he was right. S days are definitely the best days.