mama hali almost strangles kid

i have never felt motherly instincts kick in like they did last night, as i stared, absolutely baffled, at a 17 yr old boy telling me how smoking weed is great for you - after he told us that's why he got suspended from school for a year. yup. well actually, he said that smoking weed wasn't why he got kicked out of school, it was really because someone "snitched" on him. i tried to explain to him that the snitching wouldn't have even been possible if he weren't smoking weed on a school trip. he refused to believe that's why. i literally wanted to jump across the counter and smack some sense into him, and say "you are lucky you aren't my child, because the whole 'i brought you into this world, i can take you out of it' phrase would actually come true..."

maybe it's because i was homeschooled and guarded, maybe it's because i am grounded in my faith, OR maybe it's because i think i have a decent understanding of right and wrong... but this kid was just stupid. and what's worse is that a LOT of people think the exact same way as he does. he said "i want to live my life in the moment, i don't want to worry about how what i am doing now is going to correlate to my future." well bucko, be prepared for a very very very difficult future. you can live carefree and in the moment, while also being responsible and readying yourself for the future.

i am a college drop out. i went to hair school but did not pursue it. and now i am just a shift manager at starbucks. i am not the poster child, that is for sure. but i am strong and independent. i have never done drugs, smoked anything, and up until last year, i never had a drop of alcohol, and i am still ridiculously responsible with it. i have never been kicked out of anything, or gotten in trouble with the law. i pay all my bills. so yes, i am carefree and living for the moment while being responsible. i would absolutely love to one day buy an RV, deck it out, and travel the country. explore. appreciate everything God has made and see the vast variety of His beauty. I don't think that college is for everyone, and i don't think that everyone needs to wear loafers and khaki pants. But i do believe in responsibility and a decent understanding of right and wrong.

anywho.

i want to give a shout out to my mother for raising me so well. we have had our issues, that is for darn tootin sure. but she kept me on the straight and narrow. taught me right from wrong. and wasn't afraid to actually "parent" me. i love you mom (smiles) and i even loved you when i was seven and screaming in your face that i would never treat my kids like you treated me... i will probably treat them the exact same way