SCREAMING in My Head

Sometimes I have to scream in my head to not exacerbate a situation with one of the boys. Tonight was one of those times.

Before I went to dinner tonight the oldest mentioned that he couldn't find his wallet, but he knew it was somewhere in his apartment. I didn't think too much about it and went about my business.

Now the oldest was supposed to come home tonight so that he could take the youngest to school in the morning because I have to leave early to take BFF for surgery. So when I came home from my birthday dinner with L, the oldest IM'd me and told me that he couldn't find his wallet and unless he found it he could not come home. Well that put me in a pickle.

I called Sis and made arrangements for her to take the youngest to school in the morning.

Then I waited. The oldest had gone to a meeting and I was waiting for him to get back because I had realized that he had his copy of my credit card in his wallet and I needed to know if I should cancel my card or not. While I was waiting, the youngest and I searched the house and my van, both places the oldest had been last night. I checked my credit card online and did not see any unusual charges. Finally the oldest IM'd he was back.

I called the oldest and he and I traced his steps since I had seen him last. night He was positive the wallet was in the apartment, and that the only people that had been in the apartment were trustworthy (that is a obviously a different discussion for a different day). He was pretty sure it was in the living room from when he took it out last night because it was bothering him while working on an assignment.

I asked him if he had looked in the freezer and refrigerator because I had sent food back with him last night. He had.

By this time I am starting to freak out about the credit card, and I was really mad but I couldn't tell him I was mad because he was really upset. I did tell him about being freaked out over the card.

I asked him if his roommates had been helping him look and he said a little but not much. By now the screams in my head are so loud I cannot hear myself think. I had no choice but to pull out the best threat I could think of for this group. I told the oldest that he was to tell his roommates to get up and help him look for his wallet, because if they did not find it within the hour I was driving down there and I would be tearing their apartment apart until I found that wallet, and I would not be quiet about it. There would be yelling, especially about how they need to be more responsible and keep the place cleaner. I hung up and waited.

In less than five minutes the phone rang. What did I hear when I picked up the phone ? "It was in a pizza box!"

Evidently one of the roommates while helping him look (threat worked) opened an empty pizza box and there was the wallet. I guess this is one time their sloppiness paid off. If someone had actually thrown out the empty pizza box, the wallet would have been gone, along with his license, credit cards, cash, and several gift cards.

I was a good mom. I did not yell. I just told him I was thrilled I did not have to cancel my credit card, and that he needed to find a place in HIS room to keep his wallet when he did not need it on him, and told him goodnight.

Now I am sitting here waiting for the screaming in my head to stop or at least get quieter so I can go to bed.