Last night after the dance...
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| Sat, 03-03-2007 - 2:50pm |
Well, I didn't know what to entitle this one.
My DD is turning 18 on Mon. In our state, people under 18 can't drive after midnight. Last night there was a school dance. She actually wasn't too excited about going since I think a lot of her friends are couples, she doesn't have a BF and then some of the girls she could go with in a group had to go to a photography field trip and were going to be late.
So she left the house to go to her friend Cat's and then she was going to arrive at the dance w/ Cat and her BF Matt. (BTW, my DD went to the jr. prom last year w/ Matt, she likes him, but he likes Cat, so I really don't think she wanted to do this.) Anyway, I got a call AT MIDNIGHT saying "Do you mind if I get home after midnight? I'm at a party at Dave's house, we are having Chinese food. My car is still at Cat's house and i have to get someone to drive me there to get it." Of course, yesterday was a really great day since i had my first (and hopefully last) colonoscopy. I had gone to bed at 10:00 but I wasn't asleep. My DH was actually still not in bed, which was pretty surprising since he had to work today, which means getting up at 5:30 a.m. I actually think he was waiting up for her, which he would never tell me because I would tell him not to do it.
I try to inform her that it's not whether I would care if she was home after midnight, but that if the police stop her, the excuse "my mother said I could stay out later" really wouldn't matter to them. I will be so happy next week that I don't have to say "be home before midnight' any more. It's not that I want her staying out all night, but in certain situations, like going to a dance or a late movie, I wouldn't care if she was out later.
It amazes me how the teenage brain works, though. When I talked to her later, I said "why did you call at midnight? You know that K (her stepdad) has to get up early to go to work. I'm sure he wouldn't be happy if you woke him up w/ the phone." And her reply was that she thought I would be mad if she wasn't home in time, so she thought she was being very responsible by calling. In some strange way I could see her point, esp. since she didn't have her own car and had to depend on someone else to take her back to her friend's house to get it. I will be happy in one way when she goes away to college that I don't have to know about all these details and late nights.

Rose
We live about 3 hours away from DS2's college. When he has been home for a weekend, I always insist he call upon his return to school. Since he has left late on a Sunday a few times, this means calling and waking me. That's okay and he has been told it's okay
Of course, I have no idea where, when or how he drives while he is actually AT college so, at some level, it seems absurd but..... I'm a mom, what can I say?
So you will still worry when she is away, but yes, it's rather nice not worrying all the time.
And she was very responsible calling you IMHO. Stepdad K possibly being awakened? Oh, well, that's parenthood! Honestly, at some level, you will miss even that!
Funny...I, too, got a call last night at 11:55 from DS17: "Mom, can I stay out until 12:30/1:00? We're in the middle of a game of monopoly and I'm winning--gotta finish." Yeah, right. Nice try. He had gone with a friend N, to the volleyball game and afterwards they went to this girl's house. So I told him, "No, I'll come and pick you up." Immediately, he said, "No, C (gf) will give me a ride home." I'm not sure if there was drinking going on (he tells me no) or if he was just too embarrassed to have his mom come. I should have just said "yes" and driven over to her house to check things out. Next time. I should also have asked him which properties he had in the Monopoly game and how many houses and hotels. It seems I always think of these things too late.
Like you, I cannot wait until he's in college and I don't have to know about when he's going and coming. Here they can drive after midnight when they reach age 17. He doesn't turn 18 til end of August.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQTBYQlQ7yM