<p>Slugg, your posts ALWAYS crack me up. You should have gone into comedy writing, I'm telling you!!! The cell phone exchange is very funny and I definitely can relate. Also, where we live, cell phone service is very spotty so many calls are like that. Also, my D arrived in Appalachia and I told her to call us when she arrived, as we knew NOTHING about the trip....the flights, where she was staying...this ain't high school any more where they send notes home to parents with the plans and frankly, she didn't know them either. She did call but the cell barely worked from there so it was kinda like your call. </p>
<p>Mezzomom, you don't wanna get me started on stories because with younger D, there are far too many of this nature! And yes, so many times when she could not find X, it was right where she looked. Other times the issue has been that she is very disorganized with belongings and doesn't put them in logical places and loses things too. I would chide her last year about how would she manage in college! She apparently is doing just fine that I know of, though I don't know all of what goes on daily. I do think she has lost some things...ie., watch, etc. She will empty her wallet if it gets too heavy...like I saw when she was home the health insurance card was not in it and loose some place else....come on! What are you gonna do when you are somewhere and need it! Ugh. I figured she did the same with the license but was wrong because she actually did have it. You don't want my stories about her checkbook balancing when she first got to college in the fall (she knows how but that is not the issue). It was a big issue on my end of things and I had to straighten her out when she came home at Thanksgiving. I think she is being better about it. She will not be home this entire semester so I can't say for sure but I think she finally got the point. I did not have those issues with the first child and so they are all different. </p>
<p>Also, getting second child to devote 5-10 min. every few days to make a call home is very difficult. I am very aware of her intense 24/7 schedule, but I still think she needs to block this in. Instead, a week will go by and all I get are these 2 min. calls as she is walking to something, talking with five other kids too, and then, I've arrived now, gotta go type rush rush, not a true conversation but just whatever issue is going on at the moment. Then she'll promise to call the next day and really talk to me for five min. and then doesn't. Eventually, she does but like last week, was very intense for her from early AM til very late at night, truly was not in and I just got the one min. rush call about some matter at hand (got a callback! or some such) but not any "catching up". It took like ten tries to get a real bonafide conversation call! I don't call them and wait for them to call me because I am aware that they are busy and would prefer when it is good for them. But lately with D2 it is like, gotta go, I'm getting on the subway....after one min. conversation. Older one is WAY better about calling every few days, but I must say it has ALWAYS been this way even when they went away every summer. But it is hard for me as she is only 17 and I like to talk to her more. However, D2 is on IM (D1 doesn't do that with me) and so, I do get little snippets late at night and so there is at least THAT. My kid is happy as can be at school and that is not the issue but it is hard for a mother to not get to talk to their kid in a significant way for many many days. She is not that old! My husband doesn't mind like I do. But I do expect her to fit me in! Is that too much to ask? (I'm not counting the 6:15 AM call with "I can't find my driver's license and have to leave for airport" as a true call....other than I guess it lets me know she is alive!).
Susan</p>
<p>PS, Mezzomom, I am laughing at the character shoes story. I recall when we went to see my D in a musical at her theater camp, we were in line to get into the theater before the show began and she pops out from the theater where they were getting ready for the show and says, "help Dad! I can't find my character shoes!" so we run back to her room she shared with four other girls which was a total disaster area (she being the worst offender) and we find one shoe between the bed and the wall...I mean it was a joke. But now she is on her own so she has to deal and I gather things have gone all right and she has done well, unless there is lots I don't know about and there could be!</p>