Russell Kirkpatrick's Journal
The Big Choice
22-Apr-2008
It's my younger son's eighteenth birthday tomorrow.
He's been an increasingly difficult lad. Not that he gets up to mischief or anything; he doesn't drink, smoke or frequent loose women (nor will he tell me where they live). However, he has his own way of thinking about the world, one diametrically opposed to ours. He doesn't, for example, see any virtue in work.
OK, neither do most teenage boys. But Alex is different. He is an anarchist, which I respect, but in practise this means he lives off the rest of us. He's an anarchist who doesn't believe in 'serving the man' but is outraged when his mother doesn't pick up his dirty clothes.
So. Tomorrow he faces a choice. He can either continue to live here as a member of the family - a son - with all the rights and responsibilities of a son. We as parents reserve the right to interfere mercilessly in his life, as we have done, demanding he either attend university or get a job, for example. And that he goes to bed before 5am and gets up before 3pm.
Or he can continue to live here, but as a boarder. He will pay market rates, and we will expect nothing of him beyond any other boarder. He can stay up as late as he likes, and participate in no more discussions about what he ought to be doing with his life.
Or he can leave.
He was faced with these choices last night. For five points, anyone want to guess what he chose? Without a moment's hesitation? And for a bonus twenty points, what his first words were? (A hint: it was a question.)
"Can I have the car?"
"What's for dinner, Mum?"
Not for a moment did he consider living here for free under the existing relationship. He wants us to stop interfering in his life so much he's willing to pay a weekly board.
Sigh.
Look at it this way, at least he is still in the house and may occasionally exchange words possibly resembling conversation. Just keep your fingers crossed that he will grow out of it, 18 year old boys are not usually the prime example of humanity available *grin*.