Free For the Taking

[mac78]

One son, age 20. 5'8, 160 lbs. Will eat anything, sleeps till mid afternoon, comes home wee hours of the morning. Never a dull moment with him either.

This weekend,,,,,car breaks down the next town over.....I had to pay $85 to get it towed.

I swear, it is always something with him. 3 weeks ago a visit to the emergency room for stitches in the finger. We will be moving him over Labor Day weekend to an apartment in Columbus, OH. He will be rooming with 3 other kids. He has a lot of growning up to do. Sometimes I just want to become invisible for a while......

[RoseMary]

Marie, wish I had some advice, but I only raised girls. He's just a kid right now~but he will grow up eventually. Hoperfully, he will be getting a little cheaper to take care of soon:)! A few years from now, you'll be looking back and missing the kid he is right now. Hang in there:)!!

[mac78]

Don't get me wrong, I love my kid to death and I will do what I have to to help him get thru college, I just don't think he helps himself as much as he could. He is just so different from me when I was his age. I was on my own, paid for everything myself when I graduated high school, mostly because I had no other choice.

I know, I am gonna cry and really miss him when he moves. I am not looking forward to it at all.

[Gigi]

Oh that is funny- really is! What happens to those little angels that sleep quietly for years-then bam.... the teen years, drama, hospital visits, school, more school... then guess what- they grown up to me amazing adults!

Hang in there! We are here for all the support you need at anytime! :eek:

[CohenCottage]

Sounds like he needs to be paying YOU for a tow truck and an ER visit!! Also, there is hope that he won't move back in after college... I moved out and went to college at 17 (a year early) and NEVER went home for more than 2 weeks EVER.

[cheapdiva]

well Mac, as the mother of 3 boys (and one girl) - I can tell you generally it takes a LOT longer for the boys to "mature". My oldest son (the one that just got married at nearly 31!) really didn't start showing signs of true adulthood until he was around 27. Just met a young man his age recently and we were talking about "kids" growing up and he told me he didn't really feel like he was an adult until about 27 or 28 either.

I think many of the kids in their 20's to early 30's have been very lucky. They have not had to live through hard times or true recessions until now. Many of the ones I know had plenty of help getting through college and took 5+ years to get their degrees. They went abroad, spent a semester at another university because of "specialty" classes, etc. Even my own kids who did not come from a lot of money almost always managed to convince me that there were certain things they "needed" in order to feel good.

Truthfully, like so many single parents I tried to make up for not having dad around and didn't want my kids to "suffer" because of it.

My two younger sons - 23 & 25 . . . let's just say I am still waiting for them to become adults. Hang in there, you aren't alone!!! (Sadly!);)

[mac78]

Thanks for your support ladies. The week only got worse though. The sham spun out and went thru the block. He needs a different engine. Junkyard engine going in to a tune of $1500. Of coarse we all know who is paying for it. He still owes $1100 on the car. He does have a $1000 saved, but he leaves in a few weeks for college and was planning on that money for living expenses.

Hugs back to all of you. Thanks for listening.

[Zuzu's Garden]

Marie,

Your experience in raising a boy sounds very much like ours. It does get easier in time. Sending more hugs your way.

Zuzu