Today's "Why I Wanted To Kill My Child" post...

Well, not literally, of course.

He did a fairish job of cleaning the sidewalks. Still some work to be done but there's still 2-3" of solid freaking ice that not even my bricking hammer will break, so it will take some time. He's been good about helping around the house lately. He asked if he could go to visit his girlfriend (she stays with her Nana here in town most weekends). I said yes, text me when you get there and you may stay for 1 hour and text me when you are leaving. He got there at 336.

445 no text that he has left. I send him a blank text. No reply. I send a "??" text. No reply. I call. Twice. No answer. I send a "?!?!?!" I get a "Woah we fell asleep in front of the fireplace, sorry" text. I said you better get your ass home. He said he was leaving. 10 minutes later (and it only takes 15 to walk there) I get a "Can I stay for supper?" text. I reply NO. "Why?" Because you are STILL there 10 minutes AFTER you said you were leaving. "Please, Mom. I'll bake those cookies and they will be all for you and I'll make you whatever you want for supper." I'm pretty angry at this point and I told him "OK but ONLY because it will give me time to cool down and NOT kill you when you come home." To which I will give him credit for texting back to clarify I meant yes. This was about 615 I think. At 715 I sent a text when he was planning on coming home. He replied he was almost done eating. At 818 I sent again "when are you planning on coming home?" No reply. Blank text. No reply. 835 at this point. I try calling. First time rings the standard million times before it went to the "unavailable message" (no voicemail). I must have called repeatedly for 5-10 minutes, always going to that unavailable message after the 2nd or 1st ring. Now I'm beyond livid at this point. At 850 he walks in the freaking door. His phone had begun to act up so he couldn't send a text (and it was acting flakey when he showed me). But he immediately cops an attitude and does the "oh drama fine you're pissed and saying never again so I'll just break up with my girlfriend and I'm so stupid and I'm feeling worthless" shit.

All of which I IMMEDIATELY called bullshit on. Yes, I said never again but you know that I never follow through because that's just too mean. No way did I say break up with her. No where did I say you were stupid. FURTHERMORE - You are not stupid. You sometimes act/speak without thinking but that's kind of par for the course of being a teen. And if I thought you were worthless, I wouldn't care that you were ignoring me/not answering. I wouldn't be worried about you. I wouldn't be wondering if, since it's now dark out, you'd been hit by a car on the way home. But you are grounded until some of this lost ground in trust has been regained.

Kids. Gotta love 'em. Right? :-)

--
Heather
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ............"WOW--What a Ride!!!"
--Author unknown