I knew something was up when I heard the front door open this morning before I even went downstairs. But I have a secret weapon: thanks to our security system and the wonders of the iPhone, I can look on my phone and instantly know every time the door has opened in the past 24 hours. This is great for keeping track of teenage movements.
Jake was out with friends when I went to bed last night, but my phone told me he had come home shortly thereafter. It also told me that he was in and out of doors several times throughout the night, so I knew he’d been up all night.
The signs were clear when I came downstairs. What had been left behind told the story.
Coffee cups. Empty pizza boxes and plates with bits of crust. Dead laptops. A sooty hardback copy of The Lord of the Rings. A notebook. And most shocking of all, an Encyclopedia of Shakespeare.
And then Jake and his friend Jim popping back into the house. “Good morning, Family!” Jake sang out. Apparently he was none the worse for the wild night he had spent. Oh, well, you are only 18 once, after all.
Oh, those crazy teengage boys! You have to watch them every minute! 🙂