The Night They Gave Up...

Last night my teens stopped coming home at all hours. No calls, no texts, no sign of them anywhere. Just total silence. I was scared they'd had an accident or something awful had happened... But then around midnight, one by one, they started creeping back in as quietly as possible. They said it was because they were 'having a sleepover' at a friend's house all along. The way things have been lately, we've been arguing so much that I felt like maybe our house wasn't a place for them to be anymore... Maybe it's just me being too hard on myself and overthinking everything? But seeing them sneak back in as if nothing was wrong? It hurt more than I thought possible. The worst part is knowing how much they still need us even when they act like they don't....