<p>^^^^^Additionally, when we were growing up, keeping in contact with our parents just wasn’t possible on the same scale as now, so we were often forced to solve our own problems rather than go through the time and expense of contacting Mom and Dad.</p>
<p>We are so accessible now, that it’s just too tempting on both the part of parents and children to ask for and give advice for even the most mundane problems.</p>
<p>‘I needed to step back from even wanting to know too many of the details what my two oldest were doing this summer.’</p>
<p>Truer words were never spoken… :)</p>
<p>Actually, OP maybe he’s not looking for you to solve anything. I have found that the men in my life often want to vent it out but the actual problem solving is up to them.</p>
<p>I didn’t share much of anything with my parents once I hit 18. I do think the 20 minute phone calls on Sunday nights after 9pm when it was cheaper prevented in depth discussions. Probably a good thing.</p>
<p>PackMom, I feel the same way. When I am in a store and a parent is having trouble keeping the kids in line I tell them to enjoy it and be happy that they still get to be in control. They can put them in their room, take away their toys, whatever…I warn them of age 13 and up! I tell them they don’t know what stress is yet!</p>
<p>DS got a job right out of college. He was a little unhappy that he got one so fast and started 2.5 weeks after graduation (and he had to give notice at his old job so he didn’t even get that time off!). Then he/we sweated because it was a lot of training and a national test (65% total pass rate including 1st and 2nd attempts) Son is NOT a studier, the tests were the hard part for him in school–rather do HW, papers, group project. He didn’t pass the first time. It was pass the second time or be let go. He studied and he PASSED, last week. BIG Sigh…right? Not for long…, this week they announce that business is down and layoffs might be coming. He is in a class of 10 trainees…Just when you thought they were on their way. Boom!</p>
<p>The bright side is that you can put a layoff on a resume much easier than you can explain the job you lost due to a test…I was really concerned about how he would go about explaining a 2 month employment gap, or explain why he left a job after 2 months…</p>
<p>When our kids were age 3 and 6, I called it the start of our “Glory Years”… post-diaper, pre-teen. </p>
<p>DH said, “We are not out of the woods yet”. I laughed and replied - “Ha, we can’t even see the trees yet from here”.</p>
<p>Our 25 yo S needs to drive on the busy freeway in the northeast. We have not given him enough opportunity to practice in such freeway conditions in the past. It really freaks us out! He is “working hard” to remedy the mistake we have made by practicing driving by himself, whenever he can make time for it. This had to be done is his worst (busiest) year. Why could we not see this looming problem in the past 8 years?</p>
<p>Are we the only parents who worry so much about young adult child’s driving? By sending him to a far-away OOS college and he could not come home and drive the car during almost all summer breaks, we (or he?) have introduced this big problem!</p>
<p>Do not repeat the same mistake, my fellow parents!</p>
<p>Yeah, our kids went from hardly ever driving to driving in LA and then across country and in DC/VA! Somehow we all survive! Similarly, D went from hardly driving to driving in LA. She is doing ok with it too.</p>
<p>Driving in LA is scary to me. Not for the timid, man those are some fast and aggressive drivers!</p>
<p>^Interesting. I have lived in/driven NYC, DC, LA and most recently the Sf bay area. Much prefer the central valley. D is now in Salt Lake City. How does that stack up? </p>
<p>"When our kids were age 3 and 6, I called it the start of our “Glory Years”… post-diaper, pre-teen. "</p>
<p>I say childbirth is the “glory”. That’s the weed out. Except you can’t really get weeded out. With regard to pain:control, it goes downhill from there.</p>
<p>Well, HI has lots of heavy traffic but you have a hard time getting really lost. Most drivers are good about letting you in for merges and lane changes. In LA, you can get so lost, so fast! The GPS and smart phones are so helpful for navigation, we use both and it makes driving a bit easier to find the right roads. Our kids happily were able to adapt to LA driving with freeways and aggressive driving with surprising ease. Our S has been rear ended twice and had two other accidents over the nearly 6 years he’s been driving now. So far, no one has ever been injured. D so far has not had any accidents.</p>
<p>Are we the last two still awake?</p>
<p>It’s nearly 9pm. :), midnite for you! The others must be getting their beauty sleep. ;)</p>
<p>I need to watch Top Chef Masters again. I may have missed something. Beauty be damned!</p>
<p>New day, somehow no one has posted since you guys last nite.</p>
<p>Funny, driving the car is something I never worry about my son doing, he is a very good driver and we live in a state that roads and the signage are awful so driving anywhere else has got to be easier. </p>
<p>I do worry about things though I know my son has a good head on his shoulders but he isn’t a planner like I am so I worry that he will miss out on opportunities because he isn’t looking ahead. We havn’t gotten to the first job search yet, that is going to take a lot of self control on my part.</p>
<p>Yea, I’m a huge planner. My S is less so and D is very ‘go with the flow.’ It is hard to not stress at our very different styles, but no point in hassling about it. Each of our styles serve us ok, so we keep them.</p>
<p>I have driving worry too. S barely drove in/after high school and almost never since he’s been in college. I will worry whenever he gets a job that requires a car. D takes the car every chance she gets. Neither are highway drivers though so that will be a new challenge at some point.</p>
<p>I still remember after I graduated from law school and my best friend wanted us to go on a road trip–her, me, and a male friend (not BF). She had a manual 5-speed. I had driven maybe a total of 209 miles in my life, including maybe 5 times or less with a manual. We drove for about 2-3 weeks, with her and me splitting the driving (we stopped letting male drive because he’d fall asleep while driving). I had no idea where we were going and everyone would fall asleep when I drove. I’d stop when I got anywhere near the stated destination, pull over and state what the last sign said and say I needed help navigating. It was an interesting trip. Glad my kids had more miles under their belt when they did their roadtrip. ;).</p>
<p>My first car (I was a h.s. senior 1979) was a manual shift 4 speed, a 1972 Ford Pinto.
My Mom bought it for $596 from an acquaintance in our small town. After paying the man, she hopped in her car and said “see you back at the house”. It was a very bumpy ride and I choked it down a few times but I made it. Today’s parents would prob. never do that.</p>
<p>One of my coworkers told me that when she was in college, a student got an intern job in a summer. But this job was in a large city. In the end, she gave up this intern opportunity because she did not dare to drive on freeways in that large city!</p>
<p>I wonder whether she learned from this lesson and started to work on her driving skills.</p>