Ken and I have been camping quite a bit this summer. While this isn't unusual for us, what is strange is that most of our camping has been as a couple instead of as a family. The boys rarely want to spend a weekend away from home. Home is where the PS4 streams Call of Duty and where the friends and girlfriends are easily accessible. Home is parent-free. I remember reaching that age and enjoying those brief flashes of independence that did not come with a home owner's responsibilities. I often opted to stay home, too, when my parents wanted to go away for a weekend or even a week, so I don't blame the boys for wanting to stay behind now. I do miss them, though, and am saddened by the knowledge that their weekends away from us are precursors to a more permanent form of independence. It's the first, yearning step toward autonomy. Not that I expect either of them to move out and get their own place any time soon. Gage is only going to be a sophomore in high