Julia Sims: Twenty questions

It wasn't that long ago that I dreaded the nightly bedtime routine. I would run out of Will's bedroom like my hair was on fire! It left me frazzled to no end. If you don't know what I'm talking about, consider yourself blessed.

Somewhere along the way, bedtime has become one of my favorite parts of the day. Now it's that moment where we savor the stillness. Sometimes it feels like the world just consists of the two of us. I read to Will and then he reads to me. We laugh at the characters in the books and we talk about "what ifs."

Recently, Will has started asking me questions before we get around to reading our books. Sometimes it's rapid fire inquiries. Other times, it's slow and thoughtful. The questions give me insight into an eight-year-old little boy's world.

He's asked the expected questions like "How did you and daddy meet?" I tell him about the golf course encounter and how Mike saw me hit a ball 150 yards straight onto the green and that's when he just knew I was the one (or something like that).

For the most part though, the questions center around college and sports. "How do you get into college? Do you knock on the door and they let you in?" or "Is Johnny Manziel a bad guy?"

Those are the questions I like. They're opportunities to talk about character traits, responsibility and accountability. It's as if I can hear his little mind clicking and absorbing the information. Sometimes we end up skipping the book and talk until we can no longer talk. I'd like to think he'll carry those conversations into the days and weeks ahead.

So, I'm here to tell you when you're hightailing it out of your child's room at night and you're wondering if it will ever get better ... it does. It really, really does.