Validation for a Working Mom

Forgive me blogosphere...it has been three months since my last entry.

There is much to share from the last few months but you'll hear about it all in due time...

For now, this weekend was priceless for me and I share this for all working mother's out there.

Let me just say, I needed some validation about my kid's direction...(who hasn't been there?)

I've not been home much this summer and no longer have a handle on how my kids were doing.

It has really, really bothered me.

And because my "kids" are now teenagers (14 and 17)...cat-like aloof creatures that in a nano second makes me want to rip apart all cell phones and Facebook pages...and the next makes me laugh out loud because of some goofy You Tube video they found....I just needed to know they were doing okay...going in the right direction....

Saturday night my older daughter's friend, Rachel threw her a party for her17th birthday at my house and I got just that!

That said, let me just mention that I became of aware of this party three days before the party (during the State Fair...so you can imagine my response was more "rip apart cell phone" than "laugh out loud"...)

AND, I was not happy that I had purposely been kept out of the loop on all the arrangements...not good for my personality and a for a sleep depreived mom. 

"Everything was taken care of" was the response to my tough probbing questions.

I decided, "Fine, I am not going to deal with this..it could be a good lesson."

Turned out it was a good lesson for me.

....I did know it was a boy-girl party and that about 10 people were invited...

hmmmmm....based on my high school experience...."10" was a relative term...and boy-girl party meant well...BOYS....and boys - frankly means boys AND their lack of frontal lobe development were coming to my house! and not just one - but at least five!

(Note to self...wine in frig.. self-medicate if needed)


Well, the party began and the guys and gals started to show up.  And, all 10 - yes - 10 and that was all - hung out outside in my front yard, made their own fun and were just fine.

No police were called, no unhappy neighbors..no fire, no beer, broken furniture....it was all good...

(and I enjoyed some wine but out of want instead of necessity)

Birthday girl, Kelsey (and her Harry potter hat...yes, she is a fan)

AND, the frosting on the "birthday cake" was seeing my 17 year old daughter Kelsey so happy AND hanging with friends more interested in figuring out a Rubic's cube then causing unnessecary teenage drama.

And these were not nerds!  Just great kids - -one guy even wearing a "Cancer Sucks" t-shirt in honor of his granfather who died from the disease and show his support for the fight against it.  How cool is that?

Pausing before the pinyata

In short, my house was filled with young adults going in a good direction and they were my daughter's friends.

As a single mom working full-time and trying to develop a business, this almost brought me to tears. I constantly worry that I am doing the right thing.  Frankly, I am taking a hard look at what I am doing to be sure it is in the best interest of my children...

Whether what I have done or what I am doing as a parent is right or wrong, I have validation that my 17-year old daughter is doing okay. And that, my friends, is enough for today.