Augh! Or, parenting a late-teenage boy

Older Son (17, a high school senior) got out at noon today because it's the last day of mid-term exams. Teachers have the afternoon free to submit grades. I had arranged to pick him up at school; he could not have the car today because I had an exam in the city. I got there about 12:07 or so, just within seconds of when classes dismissed. We had arranged to meet by the science building. I waited for 20 minutes. No Older Son. I walked over to the broadcasting room, on the off chance he had stayed after to work. No Older Son. I walked back to the car. No Older Son. By this time, I had been waiting a half hour. I went home.

No messages. I waited at home for about two and a half hours. (Surfing the web, and doing kitchen stuff, but I did not leave the house.) No calls. I went to the bank and stopped by the school. Not there. I saw the broadcasting teacher who gave me pointers to some phone numbers. I went to the grocery store. I came home. Not there. No phone calls.

After consulting with DH, I called the friends. They had not seen him since school let out. OK, now I was scared. Before I had been irked, and vaguely worried, but now the only people I thought he would be with did not know where he was. I called DH again. We agreed that the police would not have been willing to do anything so soon. I cried. DH said he would go fetch Small Son and come home.

Two minutes later, Older Son came home. He had been hanging out at a friend's house just around the corner. I was so relieved. I cried. He apologized. Profusely. I was so relieved. I know, I'm repeating myself, but I was so relieved. After assessing the situation, I explained to him my POV. He should have called. I was annoyed when I thought he was just hanging with his friends, and scared when I thought he wasn't (because I called them) and relieved when he came home safe. He said, "and now you're upset because you've calmed down." I said, "No, but if you do that again you lose the car for two weeks."

Unlike Miranda, I am pleased to mix my good news and bad news. DH got another one-year (nine-month) appointment at the University where he works. And Older Son was accepted at Louisiana State. He seemed pleased about that, which is good news...he had been unhappy about going there, until he saw the place. Now he seems not only resigned to attending there, but happily anticipating it.