He Just Isn't.

I really don't know if the SU is as clued out as he makes out or what his problem is, but a regular, engaged, on-top-of- it father he isn't. There are days when I think I need to change the name of this blog to something to do with parenting nightmares!

RebelTweeny has a friend staying the weekend. The two of them made plans to see a movie. That's fine. Apparently

"dad knows all the details mom!"

ok... that is good. So around 7:30 pm ish... SU dropped the girls off at the theatre. I did ask what movie they were going to see before they left. It's a good thing I did.

After I've been scrap booking a couple of hours I figured I'd better check the time... and it's now at least 2 1/2 hours since the girls left. The movie theatre is less than 10 minutes away, and most movies only last two hours max. Why haven't they called?

So I looked up the movie on the website and I see if they did go to the early show it would have been done about half an hour ago. As I check things I see the friend left her cell phone at our place. RT doesn't have a cell and I would swear that the concept of a pay phone and how to use it eludes her.

I yelled at the SU through his closed AND LOCKED door... in his upstairs cave... "what time are you picking up the girls?"
"They said they'd call," he says.
"Yeah well, the girl left her cell behind and from what I can tell, the movie ended over half an hour ago"
"So what do you want me to do?" SU asks me.
I sigh... and ask, "what time were they planning on seeing the movie?"
He responds.."I didn't really get that from them."

So he didn't ask for anything. He didn't have any details aside from "call me when you're ready to come home" which is NOT the same as "call me when the movie ends." I roll my eyes, and suggested that perhaps he needed to go to the theatre and find them, as according to the website the movie was over half an hour ago.

"RT will use a pay phone. What's she gonna do? WALK home?" I told him that yes... she would walk home.
So I sent the SU off with my cell phone just in case the girls called, after showing him how to turn on the thing to accept a call.

The girls arrive home and sure enough... they "wouldn't use a stupid pay phone." Apparently neither of them HAD the 50 cents needed and they were NOT going to ask an adult for help. I had a little chat about that. SU left the room!

They handed me some story about the movie starting 45 minutes after the time stated in the website. I told them I usually found the website quite reliable because people used it to buy tickets.

And indeed... they were planning on walking home rather than ask to use a phone or to borrow 50 cents for a call until her dad arrived and could pay someone back. I told RT as SU sauntered back into the room, that next time there were plans made I would like to help to ensure the details and their safety and perhaps a better plan so that they were not stranded again without so much as a nickel to get home.

So the thing is, I have to go out of town for two days and I wonder what nonsense these girls might get up to because Dad doesn't get the point of asking for details. He locks himself up into a room, there is no phone in that room. I lock my bedroom because I am tired of RT taking my things and not asking or returning them, so he isn't going to hear the phone there either. How the hell does he play dad without engaging himself?

I imagine I will have to leave him some sort of check list or something while I am away so he is semi clued in to ensuring RT's safety and places some kind of boundaries around her. It boggles my mind. RT of course thinks I am being "stupid" and as usual, SU blithely goes along. If I hadn't said anything last night, I am sure those girls were going to walk. It's not that long, and it's mostly safe, but really.... ?!?!?!

Today is a gorgeous sunny day, and I have my newspaper, coffee & Baileys( just a wee dram) AND a book on my quarterdeck. Last long weekend of the summer!

It seems to go faster every passing year.