AM – someone you think you know but really don’t know at all.

PM – 1st high school party = police called

Yep — reality crashed in ALL in one day.  Thinking about buying a sheep ranch in Colorado or becoming Amish.  Haven’t decided yet.

Dose #1:  You trust that people are who they present themselves to be – right? I was always taught that you should give people the “benefit of the doubt”.  Hmmm.  Coffee in hand and I turn on the news only to find that someone we were acquainted with may have done something that we can’t get our heads around.  Benefit of the doubt, right?  Time to turn to faith to help out on this one.  I had to remind myself that God is in all things.  Even those things we can’t quite understand.  I find myself feeling like an 8 year old girl hearing that Santa isn’t real for the first time.  WHAT?!  When your reality is turned up-side-down you find yourself looking for immediate answers.  Why? How? and more Why?  I turned to someone who is my faith partner in life — an amazing woman from our church who is filled with wisdom and a way of making all things better.  She reminded me “He is in all things – even if we can’t see Him at this point.”  I spend the day reminding myself of that and move on to enjoying my family vs. dwelling on that crash of reality from the morning news.

Dose #2:  The first high school party for our freshman son.  We had the “if there is beer” what to do so you still look cool, but you don’t make any mistakes conversation.  Dad drops him at the party — pool in the backyard loaded with freshman – a chocolate fountain going – lots of food — looks like a fun night. That was at 8:30 p.m.  We are watching football and laughing about our own high school days.  I was called the “Kool-Aid Kid” — didn’t drink, but liked to have fun. I was focused on becoming the first woman President of the United States, so I didn’t want anything to mess up that dream.  Hubby was an athlete, so he didn’t do anything out of fear of being kicked off the baseball or football team.  In Texas sports are way more important than beer.  Somehow we avoided any of the stories you hear about but still had fun.

9:30 p.m. — police – pot and a drunk freshman.  Yep.  A simple birthday party and police were called by a neighbor.  Luckily for us, our freshman has some good friends with great judgement.  Calls were made quickly to parents and they were picked up and back home by 9:45 p.m.

You hear the stories and for the most part think it is either a suburban myth or a story stretched to make it sound extra exciting for the Moms who are listening.  You look around the area and think most parents seem normal and seem to have their sh*$t together.  No worries.  We know that teens will push the limits, but you pray these stories are more for the entertainment value and to frighten Moms with kids in elementary school. You know you have spent years talking to your own kids about making good decisions, staying focused on your own goals and not letting others direct your future.

Our freshman was rattled a bit – and disappointed that the birthday party was broken up so quickly.  He and his friends made a great decision and for that we were very grateful.  Wish reality would have come later in the evening so he and his friends could have enjoyed their first party as freshman and the chocolate fountain.  Guess it doesn’t matter what neighborhood you live in – what your parents do for a living — how big your McMansion is — or how normal everyone seems when they are walking their little white pooches by your house.

Reality kind of sucks sometimes.  Hopefully my Amish village will be easier … I’m kind of leaning that way today.  Simple clothes,  no make-up or skinny jeans, lots of bread and seeing my hubby with a beard and a black hat trying to raise a barn would make my day!