It's Wednesday Night...Do YOU Know Where Your Grill Is?

For a brief moment during my Meltdown Days last week, I ranted to my older boys that I don't like finding out about their lives from other people.

For example, report cards came home last week and I didn't see DSs 2's and 3's grades until two days later AFTER my friends asked about them at work. Both are A students, so it's not like they were hiding anything...it's just not their first thought.

As another example, I got a call from my FIL last week who told me about DS 2's Halloween Costume...a bowling pin outfit...that he borrowed from his Grandfather (don't ask). I knew DS 2 was at a friend's house during the evening. I had no idea that he had a costume on...or that people thought it was a "winner". Or that it was Grandpa's to begin with (but that's a blog for another day)!

Neither of these incidents are horrible. It just doesn't make you feel like "Mother of the Year" when you don't know the comings and goings of your children. Not that I'm vying for any parenting award...but I, like any other Mother I know, like to at least appear "with-it" to those outside the nuclear family. But, who am I kidding?

Tonight I was reminded that I have a long way to go to get it together and my boys are not always championing my cause. In fact, they may be contributing to my shortcomings.

I told DH (who came home late last night) that our sliding glass door was broken. I explained that DSs 1, 2, and 3 worked from 11:00 to Midnight the other night to get it shut because it is off track and possibly missing the roller that makes it glide. After this, DH made some comment about knowing where our grill is. I thought he was being funny. I thought he was making a comment because now we can't get out the door to get to the grill very easily.

It didn't take long to realize that this wasn't a joke and I was, once again, the only one who had no clue what we were talking about. DS 2 chimed in and announced, "The grill's not missing. I know exactly where it is. It's just gone temporarily." One thing I've learned about raising boys is this...when they start talking you've got to just be very very quiet until the WHOLE story comes out. As if on cue, it happened....here's the story:

DS 2's high school was playing their hometown rival last Friday. DS 2 is a member of the Senior Board and helps organize the "tailgate" party before the game. This is usually an all-day affair. They cook. They play music. They get everyone pepped up for the games. And before the night is over, DS 2 is painted maroon and is very hoarse from screaming at the game.

He tells me: You see, I took the grill to school on Friday because they needed it to cook for the party. (In my head, I'm coaching myself, "Stay quiet. Stay very very quiet.) He continued: I "parked" the grill in an empty parking space at the school and the administration decided it probably wasn't a good idea to have a propane gas tank in the parking lot on the day of the big game (Me: "Uh, you think??")...so they confiscated it. (In my head, "Oh I am CERTAIN this made great office fodder!)

More details: On Monday when I went to go pick up the grill Mrs. ____ asked me if she could take it with her to South Carolina this weekend for the University of Florida football game. (In my head: "I know it's a 'party school' but dragging a full-size gas grill all the way to SC seems a bit much, don't you think?") He wraps it up: "So, she'll bring the grill back after the game this weekend. See? I know exactly where the grill is."

OK, I'll grant him that. I'm confident there's no need for me to prepare any award acceptance speeches. Instead I think I'll prepare the one detailing how to deal with it when you realize that your grill has been missing from your house for 6 days and you find out that it's taking a road trip to the much-coveted Gator game without anyone in your family. Or maybe I'll prepare one on how to handle it when your grill has a more sizzling weekend ahead of it than you will.

I'm not really a Gator fan (though DH and DS 2 are), but as a football fan, I have one thing to say: I guess it's all for a cause....right????