Back to school is a familiar time with kids 11 and seven and adults 43 and 41. The anxiety has mostly been replaced by excitement and choice of clothing suddenly is important. In the past, a tank top and pajama bottoms would be the fashion non-statement, but now, the shorts must hang just so and the t-shirts have to be both ironic and a bit moronic to pass muster with the selective peers of my rapidly aging boys.
The one significant difference this year is how our boys’ time is spent after school. Until this September, we have always had an at home caregiver pick up the boys and take care of them until we arrived home from work. This year, Tasman’s post school care is at someone else’s home, a mother who takes care of a few similarly aged kids near the school. Tazzy loves it as it’s like an arranged play date everyday after school.
Hudson, well he now has the freedom he has craved for a year. He has no after school care, just a list of rules he must abide by to maintain this new freedom.
Hud’s new freedom rules include being home at certain time, what to eat when he gets home and rules about house guests.
Do I trust him? Absolutely. When it comes to choosing between good and bad, wrong or right, Hudson inherently chooses wisely. Am I nervous? Hell yes. We live in a really busy city, with many different dangers and distractions. This is what worries me the most. Not his choices, but the acidic thrum and snarl of the city, the Starbuckian stay-at-homes, with their preying mantis sunglasses, right turning their Mercedes SUV into his pancreas, or bike rides and random rock hitting because of a too daring jump, laying there in a bloody heap, or pot smoking teenagers with their ample snack food and heavy lidded tom foolery beckoning with yellowed fingers, or nicotine crusted homeless men who pee behind grocery stores, forgetting to zip up all the way on purpose…
Breathe Jason, breathe.
So this is why this happened.
We got Hud a phone.
If I can get past the already too many misspelled words, I know it will put my mind at ease knowing where he is every 15-20 minutes for the next three years.
Happy September everyone.
I love communicating with my kids on their phones; I can actually get a lot more information out of them than I can in a conversation, sometimes!
Exactly why I got both my kids phones. Peace of mind which enables a bit more freedom and independence AND responsibility. Right here with you!