My baby turned 18. It was a joyous occasion for both of us. I’ve been raising kids since I was seventeen and my last “countdown” started 18 years ago. Not that I didn’t love being a mother, because I did and I wouldn’t trade my kids for anything, but I would have definitely done it a little differently if I could go back and get a do over. My daughter says I would have stopped at one (her) if I could have a do over. I don’t think the boys have contributed to my “alternate universe life.” But even with a do over, they all three would still exist or none of them would (just kidding, daughter).
But it didn’t really matter that he turned 18, because he’s still in high school so this empty next that I keep hearing about is still quite a ways away. The only impact it really had was that now he doesn’t actually have to go to school if he doesn’t want to and I won’t go to jail. So, YAY!, for not going to jail, but he’s already struggled with not going to school and now I have all these fears about what his adult life will look like. Will he graduate? Will he ever move out? Will he get a job? He has been playing sports most of his high school life, but this year, he’s literally doing nothing.
Well, not nothing. He’s going to the gym every day to work out. And he looks in the mirror a lot. If he could find a job that paid him for that, he’d be set. He also has this millionaire mind set that has him convinced he will be a billionaire by his mid 20’s, but I’m not sure how he will accomplish that when he sleeps all day. I’ve tried to tell him that people who are millionaires in their twenties are usually working long hours and not sleeping all day, but if you’ve ever had a teenage boy, they know everything and Mom knows nothing.
So, basically, all I have left in me is prayers. I keep praying that he gets an inspired idea to inspire action on his part. I also hope he gets inspired action to go to school. His plan is to graduate in December and go to California where his brother is, however, I’m not sure how he will graduate if he can’t be bothered with school. In his defense, two of his classes are online, but in my defense, I wasn’t equipped to be arguing with one of my kids trying to convince them that graduating is important.
My other two knew it wasn’t an option. College wasn’t even an option. They had to go even if it was to just try it out. My daughter is still in school. My oldest son decided it wasn’t for him, but he tried. This last kiddo doesn’t even want to consider college. I’m pretty sure he bombed his ACT on purpose so it wouldn’t be an option. He didn’t even take the SAT. I’ve even mentioned the military despite my feelings about our current governmental situation, but, again, he says no, he’s got bigger plans.
My plan is to be supportive and fill him with love (even if it’s tough love) until December and hopefully he will wake up tomorrow with a new outlook and want to go to school and do well for the next two months. After all, it is only two months. But as the saying goes, time will tell.
RouletteWeekend 