What's that I hear?

Lately, the silence is deafening around here. Seems I have full-fledged teenagers with significant social lives of their own. I keep trying to remember way way back to when I was their age - did I cavort about all over town every night during the summer, hang with my friends, ignore my parents? Oh I probably did. Of course, ask my kids and that was the dark ages, and I lived in a much smaller town. But still, it's strange.

Monday night the kids were at another neighbor's house at a "party." They walked there together and walked home around 10. Dad and I actually had an uninterrupted conversation and then went to bed early. We awoke at 10 and checked to make sure they were in, then went back to sleep.

Tuesday Sh had soccer practice for the high school (yes, already), so I dropped her off, then went on to my own game (we won, thank you very much - no goals for me, but I did have a couple diving saves as goalie, so that was fun). Au, meanwhile, informed me that there was yet another party at a friend's house - he'd catch a ride there with another parent and maybe we could pick them up? K picked up sh from soccer at 8, then came home but knew nothing about Au's party, despite me telling AU to call dad about a ride home.

So Au comes through the door at 10pm, and I say, "How'd you get here?" and He says "Oh Alex's mom - but that's ok b/c I said you'd drive us all to the movies tomorrow in return. " EXCUSE ME I don't remember 1) asking permission to go to the movies. 2) asking if perhaps I could drive (um no not at 3pm in the afternoon when I'm at work!).

so we had a little chat reminding them that 1) they are 14 (FOURTEEN) and need to remember to ask permission 2) I am not a chauffer! 3) they have summer homework that needs to get finished!

Meanwhile, another vacation is upon us. K and the kids are off sailing for 3 days. And I'm, yes, singing that same old sad song "WORKING." Is the end in sight for this work thingy? Oh, that's another post for another day....

Meanwhile, I long to be a teenager again - I think....