Parenting panacea?
If there’s an effective panacea for parenting, I’ve yet to discover it – even after 18 years on the job. The mother job that is. And I’ve been hitting the Excedrin Migraine pretty hard these past hours. Good thing there’s plenty in the medicine cabinet, along with half a bottle of Pepto Bismol.
Yes, it’s one of those days. Just the usual stuff of parental worry, as Teen Number One is flying over the ocean following two months of summer internship – as a factory worker in Europe, and then in an office.
In order to utilize frequent flyer miles, his travel route is convoluted; he’ll be sitting in a US airport on layover for almost as long as it takes to cross the ocean. How to turn a long trip into a horribly long trip – but save more than a few bucks!
At 18, my elder son is resourceful and responsible. (This is why I didn’t worry when he was semi-out-of-touch, wandering France, Belgium, and the Netherlands these past two weeks.) Still, I’ll be on edge until he texts me when he lands, and again, until he arrives home quite late tonight.
Teen Traveler Number Two
As for Teen Number Two, he couldn’t be more different than his brother. At 17, he’s also away, in an academic program. However, it appears that the silence of the past 10 days have something to do with a pertinent fact. He lost his cell phone, which I found out yesterday afternoon, indirectly.
Did I say I was popping Excedrin Migraine?
Right. I’m trying to reach him through alternate means in order to make sure he has cash for the next two weeks, not to mention can print his airline ticket, has money to pay the baggage charges, money to ship home art and architectural models, and money in case of contingency. (Contingencies like losing a cell phone?)
Then there’s figuring out how we’ll communicate over the next weeks, unless he somehow gets another phone.
- Absent-minded artist? Yes, he fits the bill.
- A struggle to teach him common sense? Yes, that, too.
- Do some kids learn the hard way? Yup.
- Concerned? Naturally.
I know my son. If losing a cell phone is the only thing that goes wrong with his summer, I’ll call it a win. Until then, I’ll wish I’d had the foresight to understand the real nature of parenting. I would’ve invested in Novartis, McNeil Labs, Bayer, and Procter & Gamble.
Meanwhile, please pass the Excedrin. It’s going to be a long day, and night.
It always amazes me that two kids, from the same family, can be so different – my brother and I are. I am the traveler while he is the home body…It sounds as if your boys have been experiencing life this summer – both of them learning in their own ways. I traveled through Europe and to Russia, and lived in Prague, without a mobile phone. My parents and I used mail and a weekly phone call, often from the post office as they had the international wires. How things have changed! Sometimes I wonder how my parents did it – then I consider how glad I am that they did and I hope that I have what it takes to do something similar when my daughter hits her teens!
And how fortunate your boys are to have you – and you them – learning all the way around.
Hey Exception! Do we know each other? вы говорите по русский?
I also traveled around Russia, as a teen, long before there were cell phones. Seems to me I sent postcards, and that was it. Then again, the world was a less dangerous and complicated place. (And I didn’t have my head in the clouds!)
Oi vey, the lost cell phone. Yeah, that would definitely bring on headaches for me.
He also had portfolio images on it, I fear. Now gone. Time for more Excedrin. 😉
Um, we definitely use Excedrin quite frequently around here–for different reasons.
My little Emily is independent. Very independent. Andrew, on the other hand, enjoys snuggles. Lots of snuggles. He is very content in my arms. I find the differences to be amazing. My two babies with two very different personalities.
It is astonishing how different kids are, and somehow, even more so when they’re close in age. (Enjoy those snuggles! He’ll be asking for date money before you know it.)
Oh, dear friend, I feel for you. I truly do! Good luck with the rest of the summer!
I guess responsible kid or not, a mom will always have something to worry about!
Exactly!
In case your son hasn’t tried this yet, Craigslist is great for cheap phone replacement (if you shop with a careful eye). My sister bought one from someone after hers was damaged by a leaky water bottle in her bag.
Oy, the lost cell phone. My students this summer lost phones, important forms, keys, money and medication. Not to mention the less important/more valuable items, like all of those gadgets that begin with “i.”
But they’re my students, not my kids. What a difference that makes.
Laughing at this one! I guess it is a little different when it’s you’re kid! (I still don’t know how you do it.)