Call Your Parents!

My daughter was in the neighborhood with her friend the other day, but she forgot to call us and tell us where she was. We drove around the neighborhood and we did find her, but we were worried for a while. Nothing is scarier than not being able to find your child--no matter what their age. I have had some of those scary moments--yes, when they are really small it is more of a panic situation--ever lose your small child in a store? Still, for a while, I didn't know where my teenage daughter was--I didn't get to the panic mode, but I still worried. Does this ever go away? Will I still feel this way when they are living on their own as adults? Will they ever understand how much parents worry about them when they are out? I don't even want to think about the next few years when they are driving or riding with their friends--now that is going to be scary!! They HAVE to have something drilled into their minds: CALL YOUR PARENTS!! In my day, it was all about finding pay phones. In their day, they have access to cell phones and the internet. I want them to stay in touch--shoot me a call or email often to let me know that you are okay. In my daughter's defense, she is out of cell phone minutes--this is one reason why I like for them to have working cell phones. Too bad she ran out of minutes so quickly--now we can't use it for the purpose I intended--to keep in touch with them. Still, she had other ways she could have reached us and should have done so. Note to my teens: CALL YOUR PARENTS! We love you and worry about you when you are not home! To keep us from having heart attacks, just keep in touch! :)