My Daughter's Social Life is Keeping Miss Clairol in Business

I love that my daughter has an active social life. I don't even mind that it's more social than mine (I had my day in the sun, trust me, it's why I'm fairly antisocial now -- I did it too well.) I do mind that I can't keep track of who she's friends with today because the dynamic will change tomorrow. I'm thinking of assigning everyone numbers. There are too many: Caitlyn or Kaitlyn and Kaley and Cali, Katrina, Kelsey, Cassie and Cassidy. There's a couple of Rachels, Ambers and three Skylars as well. To my knowledge my daughter's name has a singular presence on the roster. At least I know if I yell her name in a crowd that she'll be the only one turning around. The proclivity of similar names assures me that I'll know exactly who is spending the night only when they walk through the front door. I simply have to make certain I have their contact information and that their parents understand that checkout time at this hotel is 10 a.m. the next day.


That's something that I've found I have to be rather strict on as well.... checkout time. I'm usually a morning person and like to get my weekend moving F-A-S-T in the morning. On Sundays I want to be out the door by 8 to pick up the paper in order to have it read by 9, including coupons clipped. My daughter has more chores to do on the weekend than through the week so I need to get her moving if they're going to be done by Sunday afternoon. Plus, I usually have some shopping or errand running to do. I can't leave teens in my house alone... no way, no how, until they're much older. I know some parents like to sleep in and have a little alone time, but I'm not paid to babysit.... seriously, they need to pick up their kid.


My daughter recently had a sleepover where the girls wanted it to start at 4:30 in the afternoon and the parents were encouraging that. Of course they were! Me? Yeah, No. I was still working! Are these some new sleepover norms that I'm unaware of?  I mean, why even go home, just ride the bus with my kid and join in her chime "what's for dinner?" 


Maybe I'm out of touch or maybe I'm just bitchy, but I'm not accustomed to such disregard for another parent. My child is picked up at sleepovers at 10 a.m. I figure the family wants family time and they don't need my child hanging around having breakfast.... not when those McDonald's employees got up at the crack of dawn to fire up the microwaves and make the coffee.