Seriously?

What is up with my teenage son?  OK I think I just answered my own question.  He is a TEENAGER.  Oh my goodness, today I have wanted to strangle him twice!  And he was gone for several hours and then I was gone for several hours.  Imagine how many times it would have been if we had spent the entire day together.

I guess my annoyance with him really started yesterday at about the 6 hour mark of him playing Civilization.  It wasn't the game he was playing that I found annoying, it was the fact that he had no intention of doing anything productive, at all.  He leaves for Sea Base in a few days.  I know there are several things he needs to do before he goes.  When I asked him if he was going to do anything else his response was he did not have anything he had to do until 2:15 on Saturday.  Seriously, kid?

Given that it was the last day of school/first day of summer break, I mostly kept my mouth shut and left him to his game. I might have been thinking to myself that this did not bode well for the next few days and that I might lose it for real in short order.

Today, he had to be at the high school at 2:15 to report to the band hall for playing at graduation.  at 1:45, he comes in my room looking for the dry cleaning pile for a white dress shirt.  Upon questioning, I learn he is supposed to report in dark dress clothes.  I ask why he is looking for his white dress shirt.  He explains that he thought he had something to wear but couldn't find it.  His white dress shirt was not here.  It is currently at the cleaners.  I pointed out that a white dress shirt isn't dark colored and once again asked what he had planned to wear knowing he has no dark colored dress shirts.  He hemmed and hawed and really came up with no answer.

I proposed going really quickly and buying an appropriate shirt. He still had to find his pants!  I was not happy.  By the time we left the house it was 1:50 or later.  I inquired about when he was told the dress code for this event.  At least two days ago.

Me:  So why am I just now hearing about it?

Rehm:  Because I thought I had something to wear.

Me:  And what did you think you had?

Rehm:  I don't know!

Me:  So maybe you should have checked earlier to makes sure?

Rehm:   Dad made me walk Baron

Me:  That was at 1:30.  I meant  a couple of days ago, or last night, or this morning.

Rehm:  But I thought I had something!

Me:  But you can't tell me what you thought you had.  So what did you really think you were going to wear?

We get to the store.  We find a shirt in 2 minutes.  Then we have to wait in line to pay.  There are at least 6 people in front of us.  I send him to the car to change because at this point he is wearing shorts and an undershirt.

We made it to the school only five minutes late.  At some point on the drive I started thinking that this was all my fault and I should have been more on top of the the wardrobe.  Then I stopped myself and realized that he is old enough to inform a parent when he needs a shirt more than 15 minutes prior to an event, especially when he has known for days!

Fast forward to tonight.  I am at a friend's house.  She is helping me cut decals for our summer trip, water bottles, and design t-shirts.  I text Rehm to ask him the demensions of the the water bottles he is taking with him to Sea Base.  He has previously requested that I get decals for them.

Me:  How tall is your Nalgene water bottle?  How big around?  How many ounces?

Rehm:  I don't know

Me:  Go measure!

Rehm:  How important is this?

a few minutes later

Rehm: 32 ounces, 8 inches tall, 3.5 pi around

Me:  Seriously? How important? What are you doing?

Me:  Why do you think I'm asking?

Rehm: Playing civilization.Making me something?

Me:  Yes

Rehm:  Glad I sent that to you.

Me: Uh yeah, But you sounded like a brat in the process

Rehm:  Sorry

Me: Good thing I love you

Rehm:  Yep

Lets hope he makes it to Wednesday to go to Sea Base.  At this point it is looking quite iffy.
Jenn