I laugh every time I see Dude wearing his new headphones.
They’re as big as his HEAD! LOL
But MAN, they are soft, soft, SOFT.
He’s had his eye on these headphones for quite a while now. But he couldn’t buy them because he didn’t have the money. And even if he had the money, he would have had to go through me or Kevin for a virtual card number (because we have found that that is THE best way to prevent someone from stealing our card number; the boys like to order things from unknown [to us, at least] websites and getting a virtual number gives us peace of mind, not to mention has saved us numerous times), and then give us the cash to pay for the transaction.
In short, it’s always been a PAIN IN THE BUTT for the boys to buy anything online because they had to go through us. And a lot of times, I would say no, or postpone their transaction because I knew it would distract them from their schoolwork. (Especially Jazz. Jazz gets OBSESSED with games until he plays them out of his system).
But then Dude graduated and he received some money. Our gift to him was a checking account (with a monetary balance, of course). I wasn’t sure how he would react to this gift – after all, it’s not exactly FUN, but very practical. To my complete, and pleasant surprise, he loved it.
He anxiously waited for his debit card to arrive. And then he checked the mail days afterward for his PIN number. When he finally got everything, he immediately made an account on Amazon and bought his headphones.
He walks a little taller. He acts a little older. He’s growing up before our eyes. He still has a ways to go, and when he gets a job, I’m quite certain that he will transform into a man overnight, but for now, it’s satisfying to see the first glimpse of the man he will become.
My dad had some left over electronic test equipment and he gave it to Dude to sell. So Dude will concentrate on cleaning up the equipment this week, take pictures of the equipment and open up an Ebay account to see what he can do with it. Kevin and I are not helping him. He’s on his own. He’ll make his own mistakes and he’ll be in a position to savor every last drop of this experience.
We had another first in our house this weekend. My nephews came over to hang out for a while and when it was time for them to go home, they wanted Dude and Jazz to spend the night with them at their house.
Dude said yes, Jazz said no.
I was shocked because this was the first time Jazz turned down an invite to stay the night with his cousins. Dude was also irritated with him because they’ve always done things together and it was weird for him to do something without his little brother.
But I could see where Jazz was coming from. Jazz is a lot busier than Dude. A lot. And like I told Dude, you get to a point in your life when you have to start picking and choosing what you spend your time on. Jazz wanted to stay home and play a game he’s been wanting to play. He knew he wouldn’t have a lot of time after Monday because he’ll be in summer school from 8:00 to 2:00 and then he has band practice in the evenings a few times a week.
I wondered if Dude would go ahead and stay the night with his cousins without his little brother. To my surprise, he did. So he took them home and stayed the night and drove home, by himself.
He’s always sort of used his little brother as his social crutch. Jazz is outgoing, Dude is not. He CAN be, if you get to know him, but getting to know him is difficult because he’s an introvert and unless your interests line up with his interests, he doesn’t know what to say. I’m confident his small talk abilities will grow when he gets a job. But for now, he usually lets Jazz do all the talking.
I was proud of him for deciding to do this without Jazz. It’s a small step forward, but it’s a step, nonetheless.
In the meantime, I worried. He was taking his two cousins home, which meant he was responsible for getting them home in one piece. I asked him to text me when he arrived.
He never text him.
I called him – twice.
He never returned my call.
So OF COURSE, being mom, and a mom with an over-active imagination, I started to freak out.
But just a little.
I pray for Dude every day. I pray for God to protect and guide him whenever he’s out on the road. I knew, in my heart, that he was fine. But Satan, he likes to toy with people. And yesterday was no exception.
Shortly after the boys took off, I heard sirens. And I immediately began to picture all sorts of terrible things. So when Dude wouldn’t return my text, or calls, I grabbed my purse, and I followed him out to my nephew’s house.
Which was 30 minutes away.
But I didn’t care. I knew I would not be able to have any sort of peace until I knew they had arrived safely.
I was on pins and needles the entire trip. I took the same route that I knew Dude would take. (He really doesn’t know any other way to get to their house at this point), and when I didn’t see a black Cavalier in any weird position on the road, I began to relax. I arrived at my nephew’s house and when I saw the car, I exhaled with relief.
They were safe and sound. I really KNEW they were okay, but I just had to make sure.
I will never tell Dude about following him out there. Actually, this is the second time I’ve followed him to make sure he arrived someplace safely. I did the same thing the first time he drove him and his brother to school and they forgot to text me that they had arrived. I’m sure I’ll make a few follow-up trips whenever Jazz begins to drive places by himself. It’s a parent thing. You’ll understand when your kids are to this stage.
I won’t always require a “We’re here!” text, but for now, it gives me peace of mind.
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