<p>PJ’s? Nah - never know what could happen - breakdown, accident. Could be embarrassing! And DH was usually asleep by then, so that left little old me!</p>
<p>And as northeastmom said, they are now memories. Ah, good times. :)</p>
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This would actually kill me. As a complete and utter night owl, who has always struggled with mornings (particularly during the winter) being forced out of bed by 9am even at weekends would do very bad things to me.</p>
<p>Ummm, I have a slightly different problem. My kids drive but my h happily chauffeur them all over the place. He got up at 2 am yesterday to pick the d up from the subway station. She was clubbing downtown. Seems like no bus will run from the subway to the mall closer to our house. </p>
<p>I asked why didn’t he tell the d to come home earlier and he could pick her up at a more godly hour. He didn’t have an answer for that. He does the same for the son as well, though s asks less often. He picked s up at 4 am after a rock concert before. </p>
<p>The h said he rather the kids feel free to call ANYTIME and get a ride then being stuck somewhere late at night. </p>
<p>He will be picking them up again tonight, kids are out at a rock concert, hopefully today it’s going to be before midnight. </p>
<p>I rant and complain ceaselessly if I have to drive the kids around. They have their license and we paid for insurance, as far as I am concerned, I’ve done as much as I would for them on this area.</p>
<p>Come to think of it, I guess my chauffeuring days aren’t over! munchkin’s story reminded me we just drove S and a friend to Atlantic City on the fourth of July to see a concert. That’s 3 hours down, a 3 1/2 hour concert, and 4 hours back. Traffic getting out of AC was impossible. We left home at 2 pm and got back at 3:30 am. We preferred to drive them since my DH knows the AC area and S had never been there. It was fun, anyway.</p>
<p>I feel your pain and right now if I even began I would not know where to stop!!</p>
<p>Oh the stories I could tell you! Yeah, yeah, every so often, I guess we need to let the kids know having a chauffeur is not something to take for granted. I was gone for the last week as an emergency came up with my MIL. Had to leave the kids home alone. No car, no mom to cook, drive, advise, nag, find things. Oh yes, they were pathetic at times. Called every day and night to ask when I was coming home. The good news is that they did manage rather well themselves and are now soooo appreciative of my cooking and driving. Won’t last long I know.</p>
<p>Cptofthehouse, I hope things are better regarding your MIL.</p>
<p>Thanks, Northeastmom. The good news is that the problem was not a serious one. The bad news is that she is really slipping in terms of self care. I was so hoping that she could have a good 5 years living independently at her home, but now I’m just crossing my fingers that she does not have another crisis this summer. We are going on vacation, and then going to spend a week (kids too) at her place. We’ll try to visit for a weekend each month, and I just hope that will be sufficient. We are getting a lot of work done on her house to make it easier for her to live there. Kids are a little uglier about all of this than I like, but they are anteying it up though begrudgingly. I am not a young mom so I hope they learn some things about what happens as we get older.</p>
<p>OK, I’m in the minority here, but I don’t mind driving D and her friends. Actually, she’s getting her license in a few months and I’m kind of depressed about it. Driving with her is some of our best quality time. I find my kids will talk to me when we’re in the car, maybe it’s because we’re close but not looking each other directly in the face. Also, when one of us pick the kids up from an event we get their immediate feedback and feelings. By the time we’ve driven home, they’ve processed everything and it’s all faded. The non-driving parent will ask, “How was rehearsal/the game/the party?” and they’ll say “fine” and head off for the computer. The parent who stayed home will have to ask the parent who drove to find out what really happened!</p>
<p>There IS something to be said regarding what you hear. I just finished a day of moving kids to and from a basketball tournament and boy, did I hear some things. I mentioned to my son that his basketball friends are much more …ahem…open…then his soccer firends. You’d think they’d know there are a few things you just don’t share in front of parents! He said he was thinking the same thing…</p>
<p>I think when we’re driving we’re kind of invisible. Kids will say things to each other in the back seat of a car that they’d never say if you were with them in the kitchen. I have to remind myself as I’m driving, “Keep your mouth shut, don’t chime in, don’t say anything,” because I want them to keep talking and forget I’m there!</p>
<p>The things I learned driving to a Boy Scout Campout once… one of the high school boys was regaling middle schoolers with stories of his dating life. I was biting my lip not to laugh, because I knew he was exaggerating about a few things, but the younger ones were lapping it up and believing every word.</p>
<p>I prefer to drive over giving them the car. My older ones have not been responsible drivers, and I have paid dearly several times for their follies. The problem comes with the late night trips. I am just getting too old and tired to pick up kids late at night. It is a quandry.</p>
<p>The first thing our boys did when they reached 16 was get their permit. Second thing was to put their name on the high school’s drivers ed list. By the end of their junior year in high school, they were driving on their own–no more depending on Mom’s Taxi to drive them to school, sports practices, movies, and such. I’m surprised to hear that parents still drive their kids around past the age of 17. After reading this thread, I see that it does happen. Don’t they crave the independence and freedom of driving themselves?</p>
<p>I too like the info you can learn on the drives, there is something about being stuck in the car that opens people up, even teens.</p>
<p>I agree that some kids are much more open that others and it is amazing what you can hear, one vacation, my D’s friend was sharing way too much info with DH and we in the back seat were simply blown away by what she said and what it revealed about her :eek:</p>
<p>I love the drives too. I just don’t like being taken advantage of bc it gets old sometimes.</p>
<p>Update- The 20 y/o friend of my older son came over again. He thanked me for having him over for 3 nights last week! He also offered to help move a piece of furniture for me. Well, he did a 360 degree turn about. I wonder if my son said anything to him bc he was extremely polite.</p>
<p>Maybe he’s on CC! I did make a big deal of how nice it was when they said thanks this weekend!</p>
<p>LOL, Shrinkrap, I thought of that!</p>
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<p>I am a night person. It seems like I get more accomplished at night than during the day. Most nights (when I don’t have morning classes) I don’t go to bed until 2 or 3 A.M. Sometimes I even stay up even later.</p>
<p>There is nothing wrong or lazy by waking up at noon. All that matters is that you get 8 hours of sleep.</p>
<p>Maybe I am only the person thinking this. Doesn’t the son feel embarassed that he has to have his Mom drive him around at 20 years old? Especially with his friends around.</p>
<p>How does the son get to work and school? Why doesn’t he have his license yet?</p>
<p>insomniatic, I am not sure if you are talking about my son. If you are, the one who is being driven around is 16. My older son drives.</p>