So, D is having trouble making his car insurance payments. He has been living on his own for six months now, paying his own insurance (sort of) for three months, and has yet to find a real job.
He called me last night to ask for help making this month's insurance payment. I know it was hard to ask on his part. And as Mom, I was glad to help and glad he was calling, regardless of what it was for. I remember being 18 and on my own. I remember freaking out when the lights were turned off because I *forgot* to pay the electric bill. Life is hard when you're 18 and your head and your ass have switched places temporarily. But I survived it, my head returned to its original, upright position, and I slowly but surely became an adult.
Watching my oldest son figure it out on his own is making my arms itch. I want to help, but I have to be careful how much.
A snippet of our conversation last night went something like this:
D: I'm so frustrated. I hate this. I just want to get rid of my car.
Me: How will you ever find a job if you don't have a way to drive to it?
D: It doesn't matter anyway. The economy is about to collapse.
Me: No it's not. There are jobs out there. You just have to try harder to find them. You have to actually go to places of business and, like, fill out applications.
D: Japan's economy is collapsed. Ours is next. Why bother?
Me: Because our economy has not collapsed and won't collapse anytime in the near future. And besides, you will still need to eat and in order to eat you have to work. At something.
D: I'm just going to take out a loan.
Me: Um, isn't that why global economies are threatening to collapse in the first place?
Each conversation leads us one step closer to college. He wanted to take some time off of school after graduation, but I think he's realizing "the real world" ain't as much fun as he imagined it would be. Sandwiches aren't free. I know I was pretty sad when that realization hit me, way back when.
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