Re-entry
November 27, 2017
By the time the high school dance ended at 11pm the street was lined with parents picking up their teens. Some upper classmen drove or many walked to the DQ for a burger or ice cream.
As a freshman I was often invited to join a group of friends. Fortunately my parents’ idea of curfew had a little flex.
“I need to know by 10:30 if you need a ride home. I want to know when I can take my shoes off.” My dad would say.
It worked for us. Often I was the new age Cinderella with my eye on the clock waiting to use the pay phone with my dime in hand (that’s ancient). I never broke curfew and I had many a burger with the Price Charming of the moment.
Do you know where your children are? It is a well-known refrain. However it is a safety and concern that applies to all of us.
My four-month adventure working in Memphis had my six-year-old granddaughter, Laney keeping tabs on me through Facetime. She wanted to know my exact location and always asked to see the room. She complained to her mom that it was ‘unacceptable’ for Mamie to be away so long. When a friend of mine came to the house Laney greeted her with, “Mamie is in Memphis and won’t be back until Thanksgiving.”
I arrived home while they were out. Somehow they guessed that I was the surprise that their Mommy promised when the arrived home. I was greeted with a tackle and tangle of hugs. They demanded an assurance that I was staying home. Their number one concern was that Mamie’s Sleepover under the Christmas Tree would occur as scheduled.
I’m not about beds but it did feel good to sleep in my own room and have the TV remote to myself. That night I turned the TV off before I fell asleep. I had given a lot of thought to how my ‘retired schedule’ would work. I decided to be up that first day to take the kids to school. A small body startled me as I brushed my teeth.
“Daddy was in the bathroom, so I came up here.” Chloe had the bee blanket wrapped around her arm as she arranged her Anna (from Frozen) nightgown to sit on my toilet. Before she flushed Laney appeared.
The next morning was the same but the girls reversed order. Thanksgiving morning both girls were in my bed at 6:30am. This was a bed check!
I thought it was sweet until Laney asked, “Mamie can we use your IPad?”