Thursday, August 06, 2009

Taking Responsibility

When I was a new driver, I had to call when I got to my destination. We did not have cell phones. We had land lines. I would arrive at my destination, I'd walk into the house, say hello to my hosts, and dial my mom. It was that simple.

Fast forward a few years...
#1 has to call when he arrives at his destination. We are not talking a short hop across town. This is a 20 mile ride on roads where the speed limit is 55. He has a cell phone. All he has to do is pull up in front of his destination, turn off his car, and dial.

Last night he did not dial. This is the second time he did not dial.
I waited 1.5 hours for him to call. When he did not, I called him.
I reminded him that he didn't call. He promptly told me that he had been too busy to call. I then reminded him that since this was the second time he forgot, he would lose his driving privileges for 2 weeks.
He was not happy.
I gave him 1.5 hours to call me. All he had to do was dial and let it ring once....

When he arrived home, he harped and whined. He did not say that he was sorry. He did not say that he had forgotten. He did remind me that he wasn't in an accident. That is a blessing, yes, but I didn't know that because he didn't call...

Whatever, Dude! You had a job to do.
You didn't do it.
You lose.
No car for 2 weeks.

He has tried to wear me down. He cannot win. He should know this by now... He will never win. Next time I ask him to call when he arrives at his destination, he will call. Or, he'll have another 2 weeks with no car.

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