My son goes to Grand Junction High School. Last Monday, they had a little disaster, to the tune or 250,000 gallons of water in the school. It took out the mechanical rooms in the basement, among other things. They had to shut down the school this week. Now, we hear they'll be shut down next week, too.
Next best thing to a snow day, to a teenager. No school. No days to make up. No snow to slow you down. And everyone else in town is working or in school.
Including your parents.
I'm scared shitless.
At least my son's girlfriend goes to another school, in a town 15 miles away. But it's still causing some problems in my household. Right now, I have this pouty, attitude-laden teenager wanting free-rein of the town.
The trouble is that he has a close friend who lives about a block away. This close friend is completely turned loose by his parents. I've given him rides in bad weather, picked him up at 10:30 at night on a dark country road, and given him a place to stay when he didn't want to sleep all weekend in an empty house. He's said many times that his father hates him, might still have a drug problem (for which he's been in prison for in the past), and his stepmother drinks too much.
Yet my son says this boy's life is better because he can do anything he wants, when he wants. And he's throwing a large pout tonight because I said no, when this friend called and wanted him to walk the three miles to Taco Bell with him, on Thanksgiving Day.
I pointed out to my son how often this boy wants to be at our house. He comes by often and stays for a long time. He's reluctant to leave and go home. So, dear son of mine, who envies what life?
Now, I have to find a way to keep these boys busy during the next week. Too much trouble is to be had by two 16-year-old boys with absolutely no supervision. The brainstorm is on....
4 comments:
Sounds like you've got the situation with this other boy pretty well figured out. Too bad your son can't see the proverbial forest for the proverbial trees.
Good luck with the brainstorming. Alas, my expertise ends at age 3 or I'd try to come up with some suggestions.
Trouble with brainstorming for teenagers with attitude is, they don't want to do what you suggest on the grounds it's lame..... So i get reularly told by mine!
I can only say that as a parent of a very determined 16yr old,that despite what horrors he gets up to and there are many. We have a good relationship built on mutual respect, and eventually I get told what he might have done.
And I'd rather have that than be puritanical about what he can and can't do than the very strict way i was brought up, where all I did was try and lie about what I did.
Not that I'm saying my way is right, but I got to practise first on my 22yr old!
pxx
Kimberly -- LOL It's okay. I remember age 3 -- you have your hands full, too, but just in a different way.
Pixie -- I agree abut the "puritanical" approach. My parents were (and are) very controlling. That approach will cause this child to simply go the other direction. Bad idea. Since moving here, my son has had much more freedom than in the past, as long as he's responsible with it and keeps me updated on his plans. We've had some trouble with that lately, with this other boy's influence around.
Turns out, though, that my son is willing to do some work for me this next week - if it gives him a chance to work off a debt he owes to me and maybe make some Christmas money (for the girlfriend). So, I might have found a motivator for him :o)
Thanks!
BJ
Video games
Chips
Caffinated Pop
=
DAYS on end!
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