Ch-ch-changes!

Rough, rough night. Teenagers invaded the house. I used to LOVE when our home was full of kids and antics, but now, eh---not so much. It's very different when your daughter is almost 18 and comes home with "kids" you've never met, just to hang out. They are really big and they take up a lot of space. They also eat food, clearing out all leftovers in a fridge in a manner of minutes. They don't relate to us "older Americans" well, since we are obviously dumb and just don't get it.

At one point, right around midnight, I decided to put away the book I was reading and go and check in on the roomful of teens. See, Beautiful Daughter had brought home her good girlfriend and 2 other large boys I'd never met. Silly Son had his buddy over (who is a giant) and had been messing around on the computer. When I walked into the zone of our home where the teens had previously been hanging, no one was there. Cars were in the driveway, but no teens. Then...I heard it...a giggle through the closed office/guest room door. Oh shit! I hate dealing with this stuff! What to do? What to do?

Finally, I said, "Hey, _____ (insert daughter's name into blank)! Where are you?"

The door opened and Beautiful Daughter came out with her beaming smile and little sweet, high-pitched voice. "We're just hanging out in Albin's room." See, earlier this evening, during dinner, she was sooooooooooo nasty toward me. She's that way when she's not in complete control. However, when she needs/wants something, she reverts back to being a nice person.

I explained that it wasn't a good idea for them to be in "Albin's Room," (office/guest room) since it's the place with the big futon. I said, "Why are you in there?"

OMG! Her response is something I'll always remember: "We just wanted to be somewhere where it was quiet."

Up until 2 days ago, Beautiful Daughter was scheduled to leave for Colorado College in mid-August. My sadness about her leaving had completely dissipated. It truly is a pain living with her right now...which is a bilogical survival stage. Then...BAM! An e-mail arrived explaining that she'd been denied additional financial aid, meaning we would have less than 2 months to come up with at least $40,000. Not happening...no-how, no-way.

So, the alternatives began swirling. In spite of the fact that I think she treats my handsome husband poorly, he began doing some research. As an OSU employee, he has access to stuff, you know. He discovered through his boss that Beautiful Daughter could enroll at OSU or UofO immediately, beginning this coming Fall Semester, even though the deadlines had long-passed. My heart was happy. It would only cost us about $7000/year for her to attend a state college in Oregon.

Let the rumbling begin. Beautiful Daughter began arguing with us, as we laid out ideas for her to consider. Accusations, dirty looks, angry words...ahhhh, the life of a mother of a teenager played out in perfect synchronicity. My only fear? That she'll still be here in September. I cannot believe I just wrote that, but it's true...