Now that the situation is over with, I feel really foolish. She does respect the house rules, asks for permission before she goes out and normally keeps us informed if her plans change and she’s at Tiffany’s house rather than Amber’s. You’d think that years of being responsible would afford her a bit of slack on those rare occasions when something happens and she doesn’t call but in my warped anxious filled mind it’s just the opposite. I can see now that the problem is that I create the rules on the run. Prior to this trip, the only long journeys she’s made have been back and forth to college or going up to see my mother; and I’ve always said “call me before you leave” and “call me when you get there.”

Now that I’m calm and can look at the situation more rationally, the irony is clear. I expect her to be as responsible and considerate as an adult while still seeing her as a child running around in pig tails. She was very gracious, dismissing my need to apologize for over-reacting as “being the mom”. She also apologized for not turning off her phone when she went to work so that she would have had the juice to make those calls. We live in a pretty rural area, and there really aren’t any public phone booths anymore. I don’t remember the last time I saw one in working order.

It appears that she’s more mature than I am. So the issue is mainly mine . I guess I’m the one that needs to grow up.

(((((Miss Charlotte))))) If I went that many hours without talking to them or knowing where they are I’d have a stroke. God Bless them for being responsible enough not to drive.

How did our parents do this? Without cell phones!