Apples and Trees

This morning is a bracing 1F with negative wind chills. Toasty. Normally, my progeny walk to school. Not a huge endeavor, as we live on the same block as their schools. Walking to school is usually much faster than driving given the traffic patterns and distracted teen drivers.


As is my habit when the weather is especially awful, I drove my children to school. Me and every other Concerned Mommy. 

Traffic patterns+ teen drivers distracted by cell phones and texting= a very cranky O' Susannah for the Morning Drive. This morning, it took no less than four traffic light signal cycles to turn left on to the school campus. 

I dropped 16yo off at high school, first. Then, headed to the rear of the campus to the Middle School, navigating between icy mountains  of snow and teens on cell phones walking into traffic. By the time I had successfully cleared the high school, I was in rare form, cursing and blaspheming all who dared cross in front of me. Swearing as Performance Art. In retrospect, I'm reasonably certain not all of them are the misbegotten products of Hell wraiths and Biblically prohibited acts. 

Skidding to a slippery "stop" at a three- way intersection at the entrance to the Middle School, I politely gestured ( Really! Just a simple mittened hand wave...no fingers!) for the other car to proceed. 

" See? I'm not always a screaming bitch." 

" Mom, don't do that." 

" Don't do what?"

"Lie to yourself."

" What do you mean?"  Fighting more demolition derby traffic, but now with added interest of a roundabout and patches of tire- piercing irregular chunks of ice.

" You work really hard to achieve that! Don't sell yourself short!"  

Pulling up the school, " I love you and have a good day. Now, get out of the car!"

I left the school campus, laughing. Back home, I shared the above with my husband, who let lose with a hearty belly laugh. Most parents would be distraught, hurt, or angry if a 13 yo child had addressed them in that manner. Not me. 13yo just called me out on my bad behavior in a witty and tactful way.