Ovaries and Ouzo

There are times when I feel that being guardian to a teenager is too much. One of these times was Friday and Friday afternoon. The kid didn't show her face until Friday night. There were numerous txt messages back and forth, us telling her to come home, her replying that she wouldn't until she got her head together. I think Friday added 10 years to my life. Mine and Mammy2's. Saturday morning came around and there was a chat about things. As in, what the hell was she thinking. Stealing from us, bringing alcohol into school, drinking in school, running from school. The list went on. Apparently, she said she wasn't trying to get out the window , she was trying to open it for some 'air'. Perhaps because she needed to sober up. Mammy2 was fuming as was I. There was a long chat. She's agreed to see her counseller as soon as possible. She also reckons she might have an alcohol problem. We have to look into AA for teenagers.

Its a start I suppose.

Drinking shots at 8 in the morning is not a natural occurance. Unless you're some sort of rock star who's just finished trashing their hotel room. I asked her how many she had, she said 3 or 4. When asked how she was caught, she said she was in the toilets pouring herself a shot when a teacher came in. I'm pretty sure the expressions on both Mammy2's face and my own were identical. Pouring a shot for herself of a school morning in school.

Her solution to the problem and how she thought she could get away with a punishment was to suggest moving out. Getting a job and cheap flat. This was obviously going to solve all our issues. Where do they get these ideas from? Perhaps she thought we were in Dawson's Creek or something. She spent most of the summer looking for work and couldn't find anything. Now in the space of a week, she was going to get a job and a flat?

Obviously since Saturday her ideas on this have changed slightly. She's now resigned herself to the fact that she won't be getting cheap accommodation or a job and has accepted whatever punishment we decide to give her. In the meantime, we have to face the school next Monday. She has to apologise to the principal and apologise to any other teacher she had a run-in with. Fun times ahead.

There really should be a handbook. Seriously, we can't be the first parents to go through this and we certainly won't be the last. Poor parents, I don't think myself or my sister ever put our mother through this trauma. Or maybe we did and we are chosing to block it out. :) Speaking of being a parent, we are having an attempt this month. Paddy Power is offering ridiculous odds on it , they must have seen the holiday snaps of the Ovaries in the Maldives and decided to make a quick buck. We haven't had an attempt in a while and so we're going to try this month. You'd think with the kid, we'd be put off pro-creating for life but no. We're suckers for punishment. Lets aim for twins, twice the fun and headaches.