Open Door Policy.

Sometimes teenagers make love seem impossible. Somewhere, deep down inside, you know you love them.....but you kinda hate them at the same time. I feel this several times a week so I know what I'm talking about. And yesterday I felt it in a big way.

Yesterday, Eric took Brandon to band early and I put Kristen on the bus and took Sam skating. That meant that Emma was home alone for a few minutes before her bus came. Sam and I had a great time skating, then we went for coffee/hot chocolate, then we grocery shopped....we got home about 3 hrs after Emma had caught her bus.

I backed the van into the driveway and unbuckled Sam. When we got to the front door I couldn't believe my eyes. The front door to our house was WIDE open. Not just unlocked. WIDE open. The furnace was blaring, there were lights on.....for a moment I was afraid that we had been "broken into". Apparently not. Apparently I just have the laziest f**king teenager on the face of the planet. Thank God the porch door was closed because if it hadn't been, both of the dogs would have been gone. I. Was. Livid.

So she gets home from school and she's "tired". Of course she's tired- she's trying to juggle a job and school and a new boyfriend on no sleep. I'm convinced she's awake texting all night! Anyhow, I said to her- "Emma, I got home this morning to find the front door wide open. I am so angry that you didn't lock it so you can imagine how pissed I am that you didn't even bother to close it." And she said, "Really? I swear I closed it! I swear! Sorry! Sorry!"......so I asked her if she would like a lesson on how to properly close and lock the front door and she said,

"I know how, mom. I was late for the bus. Would you rather I had missed the bus?" So, I guess she was sooooo late for the bus that she couldn't close the door behind her? That makes me soooo mad. She clearly does not give a shit about our home or anything in it. And that's what makes me the angriest.

So, I have decided that the next time I come across a situation where she shows no respect for our stuff, I'm going to through all her stuff on the front lawn. Then maybe, just maybe, she'll get my point. And she'll be so angry at me it may feel like hatred....but deep down she'll still love me.