Suddenly *Not So* Single Journey

It’s starting to show…

Author: thenicknick

Yup.  The stress and strain of the impending school year is becoming evident.  I knew it yesterday morning when I had to deal with an angry teen.

Rachel, determined to eek the last bit of joy out of the summer break, wanted to leave the house before 8am to visit friends around the corner, return around 10am, and do her chores then.  Right.  Sounds mostly reasonable.

Only…

me: Where’s your key?

Rachel: I don’t know.

me: You need to find it.

Rachel:  I looked.  I don’t know where it is.

Now…I’m trying to exude an air of calm, ride out those walk endorphins just a little while longer.  And it was getting all the more challenging since she was standing over me, staring at me angrily, hoping to get the desired response.  Somehow, I don’t think this is what she had in mind…

me: Stop staring at me and go.

She headed for the front door.

me: No.  Go somewhere else.  You need to find your key.

And she stomped off to her room.

I looked at HIM, working on his computer right next to us during the entire exchange.  And I knew he was uncomfortable and thinking, like me, that this is no way to start a day.  And I knew he was waiting for some sign.

me: Am I so wrong?

HIM: No.  She’s sixteen.  She should be able to keep track of a key.  They both should.

Well, the fight continued and worsened.  I overheard her talking to her father on the phone, telling him that I was being ‘pissy’ over the missing key.  So, I opened the door to show her ‘pissy.’  And she looked confused as to why I would be upset.  Seriously.

I glanced about her room.  The room she swore she had searched.  That room.  Right.  And it looked like it had been searched all right.  By the police.  Or maybe a robber.  There were baskets of clothes and laundry everywhere.  The bed wasn’t made.  Clothes were scattered about the floor.  All manner of garbage littered her shelves.  And this is why we keep her door closed.  If I saw it daily, more fights would ensue, I would be on blood pressure meds, and probably have to take to my bed…or the nearest fainting couch while I questioned the universe as to how I could have raised her to be such a stinking slob.

I went to work mad-ish.  I was stressed for sure.  I don’t like when Rachel and I fight.  I don’t like starting my day angry.

She caved first.  She called within an hour asking what she needed to make for dinner.  And I saw it for the olive branch it was.  We talked…careful to avoid the sensitive key subject.

She called back again about half an hour later.

Rachel: I found the key.  Keenan had it.  I let him borrow it.  See, I didn’t lose it.

me: No, but you lent it and forgot it.

Rachel: So, it wasn’t my fault.  It was Keenan’s.

me: I’m thinking it was both of your faults.

So, the tension is gone.  The key is found.  And she assures me her room is clean.  And I’m too tired to question to who’s standard.

There’s still school shopping to be done tonight.  And there’s dinner to be made.  And there’s quality time to be had.

The transitioning must begin.  No more summer mother.  School is in session.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 at 5:58 am and is filed under Reflections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.