just in case I need you. As you know Ashley is away at Performing Arts Camp at MaDonna University. Michael was excited that he would be an only child for an entire week. He said he and I could spend lots of quality time together. What he failed to mention was that we would only spend quality time together …if a better offer didn’t come along.

On Monday he spent the night with his friend Zach. I told him I would need to pick him up early because I might go into work on Tuesday. It got this pitiful look on his face and said “but I thought we were going to spend the week together?”. That’s when the guilt gene possessed by all mothers went in to overload. Of course I would rather stay home with him than work ..duh. So Tuesday afternoon we watched a movie and shopped for neon colored duct tape. This would have been a great time for my dad to make fun of me if he were still here. ” You spent how much for what colored duct tape!?” he would have said. “Girl , you’ve got more money than you have got sense…” Who knew I would miss ridicule so much..lol.

I digress…having decided to take the week off to spend quality time with my bitty baby boy I anxiously awaited his arrival home from baseball practice. We were going to watch a movie, clear out the DVR and make some brownies. About eight o’clock I get a call. “Mom, can I spend the night with Jarret Haas? What? I mean what happened to that quality time that I gave up my much needed paycheck to provide? Where was that pitiful look? Where has the little boy gone that insisted on sharing the same chair as me to the point we had to purchase a chair and a half to accommodate us both? I remember him standing at the front door when I would leave for work sobbing , tears running down his little chubby checks. Where had the despair at my departure turned into a tuck and roll move as soon as I slowed down in front of his friends house? It was gone too soon just like Michael Jackson. I guess I should be happy that I was his back-up plan. Most teenage boys don’t want anything to do with their mothers. At least I can sleep at night knowing that if there aren’t any other teenage boys wanting him to stay all night talking about girls and playing baseball I am in. And you can bet your last roll of neon duct tape that I will be here waiting with the movie and the brownies whenever I am needed.