Batten Down The Hatches

I have 3 teenagers; 1 saintly girl (or at least smart enough to appear saintly) and 2 adorable and ready for trouble almost 15 year old boys.  All 3 are in high school and this is my motto for the next 4 years.

"Batten down the hatches".  Definition - "to prepare yourself for a difficult period by protecting yourself in every possible way.  Usage notes: When there is a storm, ships batten down the hatches (= close the doors to the outside) as protection against bad weather."

I would liken this to why I am now glad that I have a security system installed and operating in my home.  It is not necessarily to keep the bad guys out as much as it is to keep the good guys in.  I am well aware that even good kids do bad things.  It's my job to make sure that opportunity for trouble stays at a minimum.  My plan is not foolproof and I'm going to need all of your support.

I don't know if this is a news flash to you, but kids sneak out - all the time.  Now, my daughter who has matured to the ripe old age of 16 1/2 acts like this is a passe past time of like 8th graders.  Say what???!!!!  I don't want to know more.

I caught on to the boys sneaking out because they weren't smart enough to shut the garage door on the way back in  - not 1 time but 2x. - seriously!  Then there's the walks to Kangaroo that seemed like a constructive use of time early summer.  Hey, I thought a little exercise, reasonable expense for endless refill of drinks - all good fun - until I found the condoms from Kangaroo.  Now, I believe there was a certain normal experimentation that was going on with those (water balloons possibly), but bottom line - bad plan!!!!!!!!!

Our village playground/park where we live is now a danger/drug zone.  If your teenagers are hanging out there and I'm guilty of occasionally letting mine  - I would put an immediate stop to it.  I'm working on it.  Sometimes they still pull one over on me.  Nothing good is going on with groups of teenage boys and girls hanging out together with no adult supervision.  If you think it sounds like a bad idea - it is.  Trust your gut.  Let's stick together.  We need to go retro parent.  Remember calling to make sure there are actually parents home when you kid goes somewhere?  This needs to happen - every time.  The one time you don't is the time there's a "Project X" party in the works. I've been getting the "your the only parent that cares so much".  I know that is not true.

Good news.  You may not see the aforementioned teenage boys on the roads in Cary anytime soon and I think this is rocket science.  You have to take and pass a week long Drivers Ed class to qualify for your Permit test.  I am never signing them up for this.  If they can figure it out good for them but they have  to have my signature.  As it looks now, the soonest they could get in would be next summer which means the earliest they could be licensed would be almost 17.  They have not caught on to this yet and it gives me a good private laugh daily (and these are hard to come by at their expense).

My goal for the next 4 years is simple.  No jail time.  No permanent physical harm to themselves or others.  No grandchildren...  and a High School diploma in 4 years..

Help me out here and join me in over parenting for just 4 more years!