'Loneness

My oldest son often states that he needs "loneness". Usually, he needs this loneness with my husband or I. But sometimes he just wanders off to some corner of the yard and insists we keep the other minions from following him.
It took me a while, but I find myself letting him venture off more than I used to. I used to tell him to try and play with his siblings, or stay where I could hear him, or that kind of thing. But I've found that he needs that time away from everyone to recharge, and gather his (often very serious for his age) thoughts.
Now, my 7 year old knows he needs this, and yet it's taken me years to learn that I need this. Even longer to implement a plan to get some "loneness."
The older I get and the more children I have seems to make this alone time all the more essential. Also, I had to struggle to release the guilt of making time to have time to myself. Oh yes, I would feel terrible guilty, especially if I hired a babysitter so I could go grocery shopping, get a coffee, and plan my week, all without kids climbing all over me and sneaking goodies into my cart.
Now I wish I could get a sitter to takemy kids away from my home, ya know, so I could get my floors mopped twice a year. Unlikely, I know.
So here I go, setting my alarm at 6 am. I know, for some of you, that would be sleeping in. Bare with me people. (Or is it bear with me? I'm not sure we covered that in grammar school. And I have no ambition to google it either, folks.)
Sometimes, I manage to get up at 6, sometimes not. But I have definately found that mornings, if not complete days, go better on 6am mornings.
So there's that. 6am loness for mom.
And I'm trying to eat less sugar and bread like objects.
The first morning I got up at 6 and ate well, my body was in complete mutiny.
More on that another time.