I Am a Ridiculous Idiot

If you have teenagers, then you probably are too.

You been there?  One over-tired, over-heated conversation goes too far, and your angriest, fastest-growing child decides to tell you and your husband what he's always thought, but finally had to say.  You are ridiculous idiots. 

You know it's not the end of the world.  You know you could probably elevate yourselves back to The Best Parents in the World status with a pony or a Playstation or a change in the weather, but it does hurt for about five minutes, because we're all really trying our best.  And we're all so tired.  Trying to fit in the homework nannying and the flu shots and the grocery shopping and all the extra stuff that comes up every day.  It's a lot.  So we gotta do what we gotta do.

Parents gotta stick together.

I got a call from my friend Shannon today on speaker phone, on the way to pick up the kids from school (including the angry ones).  That is our social time - speaker phone on the run.

She was calling me back to rescue me from a slightly-stressed out voicemail I had left her earlier.  At 1pm, I had both an IM and a phone call at the same time.  "Did you finish the report I asked for yet?" said the IM.  "Your after-school care payment was due yesterday," said the phone.  "You're late." 

I sent off a link quickly to the IM sender and started to apologize to the phone.  "I didn't set up a reminder, so I completely forgot.  I'm so sorry.  I'll log in and pay now."

"There is a paper reminder in your file," said the phone sternly.

"I have a FILE?" I asked blankly.

"It's on the table where you sign your children out.  Every week."  The phone was not amused that I had also forgotten about the file.  I wasn't feeling my age or my pay rate at this point.

"I am so sorry.  I do remember the file.  I'll log in and pay now."  I hung up the phone and immediately called Shannon in a panic to find out if she knew the password to the payment system.

By the time Shannon called me back, she was laughing.  "Did you know about the file?" I asked.  "I can't believe I lost the password and I was too scared to call her back!"

"I never remember," she admitted.  Her son has been in the same program for longer than my kids have.  Like me, she has multiple clients, multiple mouths to feed, and aging parents and grandparents who hope to hear from her and maybe see her once in a while.  She's busy.  If we get a reminder that isn't digital and automated, it should probably be dangled from a rope and shoot BBs at our face.  Preferably after 7am.

Everyone needs someone they can trust.

So how does this translate to Bug Free Net?  Basically, we want to be that backup for you.  We know you're going through all kinds of stuff with pre-teens and teenagers.  We are too.  Seriously.  

Send us your setup questions.    Walk us through your cable provider troubleshooting struggles, or ask us the impact that it might have on your parental control options to switch to AT&T.  That is exactly why we're here.  We are parents just like you, and if there is one thing in your day that we can simplify, we're happy to help. 

We know you're busy.  We know you're tired.  We are too. 

Just ask my 7 year-old, who received a plate of toast and a jar of strawberry jelly from me this morning at 7am.  What I thought was jelly, anyway. 

"YAY!  Cherries!"  I heard as I was turning to get coffee.  I peeked through blurry eyes and realized he was clutching a small jar of maraschino cherries in his chubby hands.   "I get cherries with my toast!"

"No, you don't," I said, gently prying the jar from his little fingers.  "That's not breakfast."

"Yes I do.  You GAVE them to me," he said, his eyes shining happily.

"Well, you should know better.  I am a ridiculous idiot."