12/26/2010 I did have one incident in the past month with my younger daughter since the shoplifting thing, but thankfully, it really wasn’t her doing. Her friend was driving on the freeway at a high speed and was stopped and investigated. My daughter and two teenage boys were in the car and everyone got checked out. The driver was found to have been drinking, speeding, and had several pot pipes in the car. She ultimately had her car impounded. The boys were clean. My daughter had a pot pipe in her purse that “wasn’t mine!” Of course. I wasn’t born yesterday and neither were the police officers, as I found out after I had to travel 45 minutes to the location at about 1 a.m. She ended up with a fine and a scare and we had a deep conversation on the way home–about her choices, her friend’s un-friendlike choices, and so on.

My final statement, and what she heard loud and clear was, “If I’m ever called again by the police in connection with anything you’ve done…I’m not coming. I’m done.”

OK, so since that night in early December 2010, she has turned 17. She also got a raise and a promotion at work, plus bonuses and awards worth almost $1000. They love her there and she loves her job. She has decided that she’s going to focus because she likes the positive attention much better. She likes it better when we get along and wants to keep it that way.

My seventeen-year-old daughter now lives in her own apartment with two other roommates and she is so happy. Most people think I’m crazy for allowing it, but she’s been handling it wonderfully. She pays her own rent, her own car payment, her own insurance, and her own upkeep. It has doen wonders for our rapport. We see each other every Sunday without fail–for brunch and then we spend the afternnon hanging out. We shop, go to the movies, and best of all–we talk! On this day, at this moment, I have the relationship with this child that I’ve always wanted. I like the idea of starting 2011 this way. I have an empty nest, but I’m now stress free!