Date Night

Kevin and I went on a date this weekend. What was once a common activity for us has become a rare and cherished occurrence. What used to happen on the spur of the moment is now only executed with much planning and forethought. Get the sitter, leave pages of detailed instructions, make dinner for the kids, lay out pajamas, straighten the house, prep your anxious child about the date, hug the kids goodbye, run back in to leave your cell phone number....we are practically exhausted before the date even gets underway. 

We went out for dinner with our good friends, and then watched a movie. 

At the theater we encountered a herd of teens (I think it is an unspoken rule that as a teen, you should avoid being alone. Always travel in a herd, or at the very least, in pairs). The herd sat behind us and we had the pleasure of hearing their interactions. I found this both highly entertaining and extremely terrifying. Entertaining because what you talk about when you are a teen is not really of upmost importance. What is important is how you talk, who you talk to, your cadence and intonation, and your body language. This is important to you because you believe that your entire reason for existing is to be noticed, and being noticed, in your adolescent brain, equals  acceptance.  And acceptance means everything at this time of life.  And this is why I found the herd terrifying. Kevin and I survived adolescence. We came out of the herd at least somewhat intact. But what if our kids don't? I decided that either I need to homeschool our children until they are 30, and then marry them off to another equally sheltered child, or hire someone to follow them wherever they go.  But since I would potentially lose my mind if I homeschooled (and arranged marriages are a little out of vogue), I should probably just start saving money now for the private investigator. Let me know if you have any good referrals.