What A Day...Part 2

   When we left off Riley and I were hurrying into the arena. You know how I love the cold, note the sarcasm. This kid leaves home for every practice fully dressed except this week where he needs elbow pads and a jersey which he can't put on while I tie the skates. He keeps telling me I can't possibly tie them as tight as John. As soon as I'm finished he complains they are too tight. I can't win.

  Off he goes. I now have time to reply to some emails and messages. Riley had an issue with a friend at school and I needed to chat with his Mom. Back and forth we go with text messages. I make a quick phone call to Alex. He needs to be packing for skiing. Yes Mom I'm doing it he says. Knowing he isn't, I wait five minutes and call back. Ok Mom I'll do it now he says. Again I wait five minutes and call. I can't find......fill in the blank because he can't seem to find anything.

  Hockey is over and we head out. It's almost nine. Way past Riley's regular bedtime. As I walk in the door, still no John, Alex comes down the stairs, ipod in hand, asking me where everything is. He has found nothing and packed nothing. Oh and his ski helmet and winter boots have disappeared.

  After searching the entire house, John finally returns. Alex scrambles to the van looking for the missing items. Of course they aren't there. That would be too easy. It's 9:30. I get Riley to bed. He complains it's too loud to sleep. It really was. The search continues.

  Around ten o'clock Alex says that maybe he forgot the helmet at the ski hill....two weeks ago! We have scoured the whole house. It's not here. Gone. The only been used twice, expensive ski helmet, is gone. Left behind.

  What can we do? Nothing. It's too late. We've paid for another three weeks of skiing and three more private lessons. We have invested a lot of time and money into the idea of teaching him to ski. Too late to back out now. 

  I'm frustrated. And angry. But mostly frustrated. This is one more thing in a long history of our unfocused child. He loses, misplaces, forgets and leaves behind. That's who he is. Knowing and accepting that are two totally different things. 

  Finally I get to bed. I crawl under the covers and hope that tomorrow is better. I turn off the light and with one final check of the ipad alarm, off to dream land I go. A few seconds later I hear a cow mooing. Yes a cow.

  I give up.

  Ang