PRE-traumatic stress disorder

The other day I was being my overworried mother self: "Where exactly is this event that you are going to?" "Who are you going with?" "How are you getting there?" "What do you mean you are biking there?" "Well, have you checked what time the sun sets?" "NO? well do you have decent bike lights?" "What are you going to wear then, you can't wear dark colors, you'll get hit by a car!" "What is your route, I need to know where to start looking if you go missing?" "Will you carry a cell phone?" "I DO NOT CARE if it is to bulky on the bike!" "Well, carry a fanny pack." "NO, I don't care it fanny packs are for wussies"

Now, I must preface, #1 is a GOOD GOOD egg but a teenager good egg nonetheless so after the 10th eye roll  this ended with me yelling "YOU KNOW I AM JUST TRYING TO ENSURE YOUR WELL BEING RIGHT?" (please refer to previous blog Nagging IS loving behaviour). Finally all questions answered and all plans made an agreement is made and off the child goes.

This was all heard by #2 who was quietly watching the exchange (and GOD I hope learning from it!!) and once #1 was out the door he says to me (with the accompanying roll of the eyes) "Jeeeeezz, mother you constantly worry and ask so many questions you are so..... so.... so .... PARENTAL!!!" Yes, he called me parental. I think it is a good thing that I was called parental but I am sure it is more like a new vernacular teenage lingo word that actually means "HOLY-CRAP-can-you-BELIEVE-my mother!". Anyway I chose to make it a good word and will wear my "parentality" proudly.

Parenting, it is a tough bussiness eh? A few months ago #1 asked to go to a party and I AGAIN asked 10,000 questions. Now #1 is saying that I am always anticipating the worst and do not need to be so worried, apparently I have PRE-traumatic stress disorder. Finally he said "I am going with (cue heavenly music and God like heavenly rays) .... SAM"

Now, let me tell you about Sam because every household should have a Sam. Sam is a giant 6 foot 3 inches tall 15 year old young man and he plays rugby. This Sam is FOCUSSED, yes, all in caps, FOCUSSED and he is FOCUSSED because he is this close to receiving a rugby scholarship to an Australian University so he does NOTHING WRONG. Seriously, NOTHING, he will not expose himself to drinking (maybe he figures he will do plenty of it once he is recruited), he will not go near drugs and he studies hard. Sam will not risk his scholarship chances AT ALL. I should say that I think #1 would also not do any of these things but it is nice to have what I have taken to calling - SAMinsurance :)

So there they go off on the bus to a party that they did not know the address to but knew how to get to (do we agree already an issue?). Anyway I gave. Midnight and no word from them. So I text "all good?" and I get a CALL, YES, A CALL!! You know something is not quite right when a teenager USES a phone as it was intended. He calls to say they have left the party because the kids were drinking and getting stoned (15 year olds) and can someone come get them. So, I had to be "parental" and go get them of course.

It is almost mother's day and I have decided to honour the day as follows: I will curb the PREtraumatic stress disorder BUT continue to be PARENTAL!!! Happy Mother's Day!!!