Well, it would appear that just when I thought I had a handle on the whole parenting of a college teenager, Franklin decides to expand my skill set. Last Saturday, Franklin was supposed to arrive at our home at the usual time of 11:00 p.m. This of course means mostsly 12:00. And of course this is a nonconfrontational rule break because Jose and I are always in bed and asleep by 10:00 (I'm usually asleep by 9:00). Sunday morning, as Jose and awoke for a daily 4:00 a.m. potty break, Jose noticed that the living room light had been left on. This is not normal. He then walked to check the door, which was left unlocked, also not normal, and with a feeling of barely contained irritation, he looked out the door to see that Franklin's car was not in the driveway. And because I have trained him so well, he immediately trotted back to the room, climbed back into bed, and said, "Franklin didn't come home last night." That he came back to bed and appeared to be getting ready to resume sleep seemed a bit odd. But it was all a clever ruse. His intention was to tell me so that I could be the one that got angry. And angry I did get. I never once thought that he was hurt, injured or in jail, as I was positive for any of those incidents, we would have received a phone call. Thus commenced the parental, "what are the consequences" talk. Jose was quick to select grounding from computer and xbox. I was equally quick to point out there was no way to enforce those things, and he didn't really use them that much anyway because he wasn't home that often anymore what with classes and work. And of course there's not a lot you can do in the terms of doling out consequences to a 19 year old boy who pays for his car, his insurance and his phone. And that being the case, I didn't think that I really had any choice in the matter. It was going to have to be a "do you wanna go with this, or you wanna go with that" sort of moment. I can't make him follow the rules, I can't make him respect the reason for the rules. But that being the case, I don't have to continue to have the discussion or the argument either. So, I had Jose go downstairs and get the big suitcases and I, in less than 15 minutes, had everything that he owned packed and piled in his room. It was time for Franklin to make a choice...it was a watershed moment...perhaps for us all.
So, Franklin came home about 30 minutes later. It was, I am sure the second time he'd seen that time of morning. And from there the 3 hour conversation began. Well, perhaps conversation isn't really the right way to describe it, because Franklin doesn't really hold up his side of the convesational obligation...he does a lot of shrugging and unintelligible mumbling. The line drawn in the sand...you have to decide to stay and follow the rules, or you can choose to leave. But the choice has to be made now. And suprisingly, Franklin decided to leave. You would be surprised how quickly irritation and ire would transform itself to worry and self doubt. I honestly didn't think he'd leave. But I'm not sure why I thought this. Franklin is the same boy who decided to take a 100 point zero on a math test so he coudl finish a 10 point homework assignment in English. And of course, there is the Erica effect. Erica is the tatood, pierced 18 year old girl who is still a senior in high school but doesn't live with her parents anymore because she had problems with her parents girl who Franklin likes as a friend but finds physically attractive so he's having sex with her, but he's not serious about her, they are just friends. And suddenly, it all made sense. Franklin's ability to think rationally had been seriously impacted by the blood loss to his penis. Oh sure, the blood had probably been rushing there during showers and late night private sessions for quite some time...but now..well the blood had purpose and is really more dedicated to the area than it had been in the past. And really, rent free environments can never compete with free, unimpeded sex...no matter how wierd, ugly and trashy the girl. And as it turns out, Franklin, ever the master of lie by omission, decided that Erica was just the person to house him during this "transition" period from home to his own apartment. Of course, we didn't find that out until this week. I'm quite certain that she will be her own blog in the future. Despite the entire stress and worry caused by Franklin's rapid, unprepared departure, Jose could only admit that he did release a giant sigh of relief that Franklin wasn't gay. It's nice to have all the world put back into perspective.
