Dealing with Fifteen Going on Sixteen

For the last three years we have been dealing with a horror show at our house, the Horror-Moan show that is. Fifteen has seen anger management issues, money issues, entitlement issues, control issues, defiance issues and most recently a lack luster attempt at running away.

On the coldest and darkest night of last week fifteen decided he was going to walk out the front door. We live in the woods, on a dark winding road that the younger generation uses as a local Autobahn. Of course being fifteen he had thought this through quite thoroughly. He stepped out into the road in dark blue jeans, black shoes and a dark brown corduroy jacket over a black t-shirt. Just what every conscientious person would have put on for a long cold walk in the deep dark woods.

By in the woods I mean over the reservoir up the steep hill down the dark and winding road into the woods where we often encounter wildlife like coyote, fox, deer, raccoon, and the occasional water-loving mammal. Houses are far apart and yards are, well...woods! Yes his grandparents also live in town and I'm sure the initial plan may have been to scare us by walking to their house. Consider it was four degrees out and he was crying tears as he thought he might walk the ten miles around the reservoir to their house. Yes ten miles. One third of our town, 63 square miles of it, is reservoir. In order to get anywhere you have to go around it. Makes for a great bike ride, a nice Sunday drive, even a nice walk if you are not on a main throughway. Not so nice if you are fifteen, freezing, and need to walk along the main truck route for 9 of the ten miles in the pitch black wearing not-nearly-enough dark clothes.