T is for Teen

How I got to be a mom of a seventeen-year-old, I'll never know. I'm not nearly old enough for that kind of thing. I tell myself it's impossible because I remember being 17 so vividly myself and I know for sure I was much more grown up then than he is now!

Being a mother of a child that age has it's benefits, but it's mostly just scary.

For example...

The other night I drove hubby to the airport for his flight to Ireland, I ordered pizza for the boys and settled down for a night of on-line shopping. Little was hanging out on the couch, Middle was upstairs playing NCAA football, and the Big one took the car to go to a friend's house. He's always been pretty responsible so no worries right??? Wrong.

There I was, shopping away when the phone rang. Here's the following conversation...

Me: "Hello"

Caller: "Is Mr. C there please."

Me: "No, he isn't is there something I can help you with?"

Caller: "This is the Salem Police,  who is driving the Honda Accord?"

Insert instantaneous panic.

Me: "Oh my God, is everything okay? That's my son in the car". 

SPD: "He was seen with a car load of kids taking flags from a front lawn. Does he have a cell phone?"

Me: Yes.

SPD: "Call him immediately and tell him to return the flags and apologize."

Me: "Okay, I'll do that right now." 

Well I called him. 

 I'm not really sure what came out of my mouth, but I'm sure it would have looked something like this *$&##*@@!!!!!!

I hung up and was shaking. I was certain when I heard the words, "Salem Police and Honda Accord" that this was the phone call that every mother dreads. The one that begins every parent's worse nightmare. The one where they tell me, my son is the latest teen driver casualty.

Thankfully it was just the Big one being a STB! (Stupid Teenage Boy)

Needless to say, he's lost his privilege to drive for awhile and I've added a few more gray hairs and taken at least a year of my life expectancy.

He does a lot to make me proud, he's consistently on the honor roll, is a member of The National Honor Society, a varsity athlete, personable, and polite, but for a little while Wednesday night he had ZERO common sense. 

STB...he just can't help it.