<p>Some gullies for parents in this thread 
so many tales of S’es and D’s who somebody thought was drinking but of course they weren’t! It was just an honest mistake. Play-dough smelling like alcohol… Do they make alcohol-flavored Play-dough these days? </p>
<p>Young Mr. Ellebud was on a business trip in Europe. Phone rings at 3 in the morning. (He was in Amsterdam).
Hi Mom! isn’t this a beautiful day?
Uh…Ellebud, what time is it?
Why are you sleeping?! You ok?
Fine…where are you?
Amsterdam.
Where am I?
Beverly Hills.
What time is it there?
3
What time is it here?
…Sorry…middle of the night?
So…you having fun?
Yeah…too much fun. Love you Mom.</p>
<p>Recent discussion with semester abroad DS (in Sinagpore) - </p>
<p>DS - “I’m looking to buy airline tickets to Phuket for Feb 7th. Would you pay?”<br>
us - “Where is that?”
DS - Thailand" </p>
<p>He claimed that it would be all very safe in the resort area. We thought it would be good to err to caution, since so much election turmoil. </p>
<p>S is in his senior year and we’ve heard almost every typical phone call: “need money”, “got into a fender bender”, “I’m in ER, but don’t worry. It isn’t serious.” D is oos: her last text, “I lost one of the diamond earrings.” I wouldn’t have wanted to hear any of these, but we have and we got through it. </p>
<p>The one call I don’t want to hear, aside from a car accident, is that their cars broke down on the side of the road. I would feel very helpless.</p>
<p>Re cars- your AAA insurance covers everyone in the family, even if they are in someone else’s car.</p>
<p>AAA insurance is one of the best buys there is. IMHO. It’s saved us innumerable times.</p>
<p>Its how I met H when I was 18, my girlfriends car broke down & his friend had AAA.</p>
<p>Kind of a reverse situation call… when I was 16 I got a call from my mother…</p>
<p>Bill (the guy she’s cheating on my step father with) and I are at the lake and the truck went into the water when we were taking the boat out. Come get us. This was around 12-1am.</p>
<p>I was given no directions to the lake (about 2 hours away) and I had no idea where they were “at the lake” and of course this was long before cell phones.</p>
<p>Yes, being the dutiful daughter I was, I went, but it was not a good situation!</p>
<p>S1 (fall break freshman year) Mom, I’m at the beach. My cell phone must have fallen out of my pocket in the beach house driveway. Then I drove over it. Just thought I’d let you know so you wouldn’t try to call me. </p>
<p>During finals I get a phone call:</p>
<p>“Mom, I have a bad stomach ache and I’m nauseous.”
“Did you go to the Health Center?”
“No, but I have a biochem final and I worried I am going to throw up”
“Go to the Health Center”
" I don’t like to, but my frat brother did have an emergency appendectomy last night."
Me: “I am sure you don’t have appendicitis, but go to the Health Center. At least they can give you a note to get our of your final”
Next phone call:
“Mrs. X? This is Dr. So and So at University Health services. Your son asked me to call to tell you he has appendicitis and is being transferred to the hospital for an appendectomy”</p>
<p>What are the odds??? </p>
<p>Not at college, and kind of different, but when I was working for a camp for kids with Down’s Syndrome and autism this past August, I used to take a lot of walks around the campground as I called my mom, which is in a particularly wildlife-filled area of New York. This is basically the conversation:
Me: So anyway, my camper said… Oh my GOSH Mom- sorry- just a sec-
Mom: What’s going on? What happened?
Me:…
Mom: Sweetie? What happened? What’s going on? Is there an emergency?
Me:… Sorry, Mom, I just saw a bear so I had to run into the bunkhouse and tell the division head so that she can warn people to stay away from the crafts tent.
Mom: There’s a BEAR in the CRAFTS TENT?
Me: Yeah… I mean, the campers are in bed so it’s not a huge deal…
Mom: You SAW the BEAR?:
Me: Um, yes, it was in front of me when I was by the crafts tent. So anyway-
Mom: You saw a BEAR up CLOSE?
Me: Mom, have you never been to camp? We get bears all the time. It’s worse when the campers see them, because they don’t know to run away, but we know what to do. The bear didn’t even see me- it’s not even dangerous.
Mom: You saw a BEAR.
Me: YES, Mom, that’s what I’ve been saying.
Mom: COME HOME NOW.
(I didn’t, obviously, but it’s something she still faintly shudders about when I mention it.)</p>
<p>Text from DD this fall: “My belly button is bleeding. Do you think this is serious?” Turned out to be nothing, but since she is 3000 miles away, it did give me pause.</p>
<p>“I think my suitemate is tripping. He’s making all kinds of weird noises. … . .” (“Me–go knock on his door and ask him if he is OK or if he needs help.”) Couple minutes later a text: “Someone is here. I think it is cops. Don’t call.” Suitemate escorted out by cops . . .</p>
<p>Freshman year: S - Something in my knee snapped, and now I can’t straighten my leg at all. It’s OK though, my roommate took me to the hospital and the doctor says it will be fine after knee surgery (and several weeks on crutches). </p>
<p>S - How many points before they revoke your license?
Me - I think over 12, why?
S - Whew, that trooper was really nice. He must have noticed that I already have 10 points and that’s why he only gave me a 2 point ticket for doing 70 in a 45 zone.
Me - Why were you doing 70 in a 45?!! When did you get 10 points?!!
S - Oh yeah, I meant to tell you about that. I got some bogus 4 point ticket for a rolling stop while I was the designated driver last weekend. They really shouldn’t give you tickets when you’re the DD. That’s not going to make the insurance go up, is it?</p>
<p>S - If I got an underage drinking citation, will I lose my scholarships?
Me - what happened?
S - I ran out of solo cups.
Me - ??
S - Campus police happened to be on my hall as I was leaving my room, and I had a bottle of beer in my hand because I ran out of solo cups. I couldn’t get back into my room before they saw me.
Me - This happened because you ran out of solo cups? </p>
<p>Me speaking with the local prosecutor regarding the above citation:
Prosecutor: The officers noted in their report that your S was not intoxicated, and that he was extremely polite and cooperative. He also has good taste in beer.
Me - I’m glad to hear that…the polite part…what do you mean he has good taste in beer?
Prosecutor - the report says that he was drinking a Yuengling.
Me - oh that explains why those “incidental costs” are so high. </p>
<p>And the frightening call in the middle of the night when S was sharing an off-campus house with several boys. One housemate, while studying abroad, sublet his room to boy “X” who was not a student:</p>
<p>S - Mommy (when I heard that I knew it was bad), I’m OK…the police just left… I was asleep and I woke up with a gun pointed at my head. I was so scared. Some guys broke into our house and rounded us up at gunpoint. They were looking for X. I think X must be involved with drugs or something or owes these guys money. He wasn’t here and they ransacked his room… (Luckily no one was injured. One of the roommates managed to call the police, but the intruders took off before the police arrived.). </p>
<p>Yowser. Makes my sons look like choir boys.</p>
<p>Yikes, Overtheedge! </p>
<p>S2 -senior year- calling from his house two blocks away from campus:</p>
<p>S2: Mom, our school is on lockdown. A man with a gun was supposedly seen on foot headed toward campus.</p>
<p>Me: Are you on campus?</p>
<p>S2:No, I was just about to walk out the door to go to class when a friend texted me from his classroom telling me they were on lockdown…</p>
<p>S2: Hold on I have a call coming in.</p>
<p>S2: That was my neighbor calling… telling me to look out the front window.</p>
<p>Me: And???</p>
<p>S2: There’s a city cop with an assault rifle hiding behind a tree in my front yard! </p>
<p>Me: For REAL???</p>
<p>S2 Yes, I’m going back upstairs to my room now. I’ll call you later. </p>
<p>S2 called awhile later. The cops apprehended the gunman. The suspect was apparently carrying a large black umbrella slung across his back rifle style!!! </p>
<p>The whole thing came to be known as the “Gunbrella” incident.</p>
<p>Wow, Overtheedge. I can see how you picked your username.</p>
<p>My D has had 4 spontaneous collapsed lungs, she has had surgery on both to correct it, though the surgery doesn’t always “hold”. It can feel a lot like acid reflux, which she has also had issues with in the past.</p>
<p>She also NEVER calls, unless it is an emergency. So, a couple of weeks ago she called on a Sunday.</p>
<p>D: Mom, I think I have my reflux back.
Me: Ok and why are you calling to tell me that? Go get some meds, either OTC or from the health clinic.
D: I already have and it hasn’t helped. I think my lung is gone again.
Me: OK, take some more antacid before bed and go to the clinic tomorrow if it isn’t better.</p>
<p>The next afternoon she calls back.</p>
<p>D: Mom, I am at the clinic. They want me to go elsewhere and get a chest XRAY. But, we are getting ice here in NOLA and Tulane is having an ice day tomorrow, and I don’t know if I can get there.
Me: SIGH.</p>
<p>I told her to stay in bed during the ice day and go as soon as the ice was gone. She went on that Wednesday and it was just a pulled muscle (from watching TV!!??!) and not her lung.</p>
<p>Thank goodness.</p>