My husband, our nearly 5-year-old son and I are watching the Super Bowl tonight, and, 30 minutes ago, our son announced he wanted to take his bath—as, in, right then, in the middle of the second quarter.

I told him that I was staying put on the couch through the half-time show, then I’d sit with him while he bathed.

Bored by the game and the commercials, regardless of our trying to involve him, he said, “No.  I want to take my bath now.”

“Well, then head on up and run your own bath water,” I said.

“No,” he said, seriously, as if taking his bath solo were actually an option.  “Then you’ll be alone with Daddy down here.”

“And, you don’t want me alone with Daddy?”

He nodded.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.”

I know that his possessiveness is age-appropriate, but also that his reaction is a sign that my husband and I aren’t spending enough time together as a couple. 

We’ve got to make that a priority before our baby boy, now 29 weeks in utero, arrives, which, because of my placenta previa, could be any time between now and my April 23 due date.  After all, when my son was born five years ago, I wasn’t able to separate from him for 3 1/2 months–and, even then, I cried when I got home because I missed him so much. 

So, we need to bank ample alone time ASAP.