Ev Turns 18
16/09/12 08:32
We were still up at midnight last night waiting as we do for our son to come home. Sometimes, we go to sleep with one eye open and hope to hear him when he comes in. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. When it doesn't we'll stick our heads in his room during the night just to see if he's come home. And sometimes, that isn't necessary since we see the telltale cup with remnants of corn starch on the counter near the sink. As far as we know, he spent the day in Boston yesterday. The Tweeter feed which he inadvertently left active on my iPad once, and which remains accessible to me to this day unbeknownst to him, tells me that he may have attended a hemp festival and he may have had a drink or two at a tavern in the city. The images posted depict someone vomiting but I can't be sure if it our son or not. The quality of the picture is poor and was taken after dark which doesn't help. How much of what they did while in the city was celebratory is unknown since all Evan said was that he was going to Boston and wanted his mama to make him a batch of cookies for the ride. When he did arrive home I urged Nancy to stay in bed and leave him to his own devices. The good news was that he was home safe and that was all that mattered. It wasn't necessary to sniff around to see if she could smell alcohol, perfume, cigarettes, or marijuana. There is a time to be vigilant and there is a time to leave well enough alone. This was a time to leave well enough alone.
It is hard to say what the future might hold for our son. He is uncommunicative about most things and seems to have a circle of friends that we think we know but can't be sure about. Some are trouble for sure while others are the usual reckless types just looking to have a good time. The latter group I can live with. The troublesome ones are the ones I worry about. I should remind him, but today is not the day, that if he finds himself in hot water that he is now considered an adult in the eyes of the law and subject to the rules that apply in such situations. In other words, don't bother calling us if you get arrested for taking more that the usual risks that boys your age take. Maybe a few days behind bars will be just what he needs to know what he doesn't want in life. Maybe the scared straight stuff is the right antidote for a son whose trajectory in life is still not quite on track. In the meantime, we will do our best to steer him towards St. Joes outside of Portland for the fall semester in 2013. It may not be the city experience that he was looking for but he should have thought about that when he chose having fun over doing his schoolwork. I do think that children only have so much control over this sort of thing so you have to let it be. Gnashing of the teeth and wringing of the hands gets you nowhere. Shedding tears is an exercise in self indulgence but considering the emotional investment one has in their children, it is a necessary exercise from time to time. I would only hope, as Da has said to him all of his life, that he become a good citizen.
He is up early and seems no worse for having done whatever he did yesterday. Our concerns may have been unjustified. He plans to have breakfast with Bobby and Josh and seems hell bent to get the show on the road. His mom and I will do our own thing and we'll plan a visit to Nana and Da's later this afternoon. There are meals to prepare, gifts to wrap, and preparations to make for the week ahead. We asked Evan what he wanted for his birthday and he finally decided that he might like to have a sweater. Nancy will take him to Timberland to make a selection of his own. No sense picking one out without him and finding that it is not to his liking. He asked that she might make him a carrot cake as well so that is on the agenda. I can't remember when she last made a carrot cake but I'm certain it will just right when it is done. Her baking skills are extraordinary so we should expect something stellar. I offered to make a lasagna for dinner and it will be there for him during the week or as long as it lasts. We will urge him to leave enough time in his busy day to do his homework but that is only us talking. He will do what he wants to do and that will be that. And yes, Evan, you can take momma's car to breakfast.
Happy birthday, son.
It is hard to say what the future might hold for our son. He is uncommunicative about most things and seems to have a circle of friends that we think we know but can't be sure about. Some are trouble for sure while others are the usual reckless types just looking to have a good time. The latter group I can live with. The troublesome ones are the ones I worry about. I should remind him, but today is not the day, that if he finds himself in hot water that he is now considered an adult in the eyes of the law and subject to the rules that apply in such situations. In other words, don't bother calling us if you get arrested for taking more that the usual risks that boys your age take. Maybe a few days behind bars will be just what he needs to know what he doesn't want in life. Maybe the scared straight stuff is the right antidote for a son whose trajectory in life is still not quite on track. In the meantime, we will do our best to steer him towards St. Joes outside of Portland for the fall semester in 2013. It may not be the city experience that he was looking for but he should have thought about that when he chose having fun over doing his schoolwork. I do think that children only have so much control over this sort of thing so you have to let it be. Gnashing of the teeth and wringing of the hands gets you nowhere. Shedding tears is an exercise in self indulgence but considering the emotional investment one has in their children, it is a necessary exercise from time to time. I would only hope, as Da has said to him all of his life, that he become a good citizen.
He is up early and seems no worse for having done whatever he did yesterday. Our concerns may have been unjustified. He plans to have breakfast with Bobby and Josh and seems hell bent to get the show on the road. His mom and I will do our own thing and we'll plan a visit to Nana and Da's later this afternoon. There are meals to prepare, gifts to wrap, and preparations to make for the week ahead. We asked Evan what he wanted for his birthday and he finally decided that he might like to have a sweater. Nancy will take him to Timberland to make a selection of his own. No sense picking one out without him and finding that it is not to his liking. He asked that she might make him a carrot cake as well so that is on the agenda. I can't remember when she last made a carrot cake but I'm certain it will just right when it is done. Her baking skills are extraordinary so we should expect something stellar. I offered to make a lasagna for dinner and it will be there for him during the week or as long as it lasts. We will urge him to leave enough time in his busy day to do his homework but that is only us talking. He will do what he wants to do and that will be that. And yes, Evan, you can take momma's car to breakfast.
Happy birthday, son.