Brandi On Hiatus

Having a kid that drives is cool. You can send him to the grocery when you need ice for the margaritas... You can have him drop his sister off at a friend's house when you want a night of hedonism and debauchery... You can send him out for pizza when it's too cold for you to go out yourself... And he can run his own errands to buy crickets and jock straps and whatnot.

Finally, Tater and I have our very own designated driver. And THAT is cool*.

Except on Friday nights.

On Friday nights, a girl likes to indulge in a little Happy-Hour Happiness. Especially if she's had a hard week dealing with health-challenged pubescents and respect-challenged old witches. That girl needs a martini. Or some Crown & ginger ale. Wine. A margarita ... even Listerine. But with a teenager out on the streets, the responsible parent abstains until said teen is safely home. It would be totally uncool to have him call me after being in an accident and have me be completely useless due to a good buzz. What would I do in that situation? Call the elderly neighbors to give me a ride? "Hey Maude, put your wig on! I need a ride!"... Call the police station, "Uh, sir, I'm sorry, but I'm toasted and I need a ride to the site of my son's accident. Could you hook me up?" If that's not a crime then it should be. So now, my only recourse is to start drinking when he's home. Like on Sunday mornings. "Honey, would you like a beer with that Bear Claw?"

No one told me that as the kids got older, I'd have to be sensible again. When they're babies, you run on hyper-nurturing-mode. But as they get older, you're able to relax and let them find their own way for a time. I didn't realize that at the end, in those crucial few years before they leave my reach, I would need to return to being super-vigilant. Super-aware, super-protective, super-there.

I can wait another 18 months. I'll pour myself a drink at his graduation. Until then, keep a Coke in the fridge for me, will ya?

*Now we don't have to depend on pregnant friends, which is a good thing, considering we're not getting any younger and pregnant friends are growing more and more scarce every year...