In other news...

Last night at 9:30 pm, my husband and I emerged from a movie theater into a surging crowd of agitated teenagers. I immediately had flashbacks to gang fights that took place in front of our home in Virginia twelve years ago, and knew we didn't want to be there. As I was holding my husband back from walking to the parking lot, a young man tapped me on the arm and said someone had shot a .22, and someone else had pulled a knife. Just then, we heard tiny little whistling shots. It wasn't a .22, but it was at least an Airsoft pistol or a BB gun. We had just come out of a war movie, and I turned and ran back into the theater. It was surreal. The interior of the movie theater was completely normal, with everyone oblivious to what was happening outside. I asked the manager whether the situation outside was being managed, and he said the cops were on their way. About ten minutes later, everything was under control and we were able to walk out to our car.

I live such a protected, quiet suburban life, with kids who basically avoid trouble, in a low-crime area. As teen violence goes, this was not life-threatening, but it sure jarred me.

For those of you who are following the OldestSon saga -- he will be returning to school. It's been an intense week of him working out what he needs to succeed, identifying how he sabotaged himself, putting together a plan, and communicating commitment. We as parents have had a lot of work and processing to do around this, too. I think we're all feeling good about this decision but it took a while to get here. This isn't going to be easy, but it will make an adult out of him. One way or another.

SecondSon has a pack of teenage boys in the den. We tend to have at least three 16-year-old overnight guests each weekend. They were supposed to go snowboarding today, but the girl whose dad was driving backed out. Some had rented gear, and now have to return it unused. They were upset last night, but have recovered.