My wife said this to me last night while we were getting ready to turn out the lights.

I think it is because I have ZERO tolerance for bullshit and stupid crap and the kid is tense because he knows that I will not tolerate his stupid crap. I am hyper sensitive to his cranio-rectitis and he is on egg shells because I jump his ass when he does something stupid.

So, the kid was home for slightly more than 24hrs and we are already back to our usual state of tension in the home.

But, why should I care if he does stupid shit? It really does not matter other than it absolutely makes me grind my teeth. I had to buy a night guard in order to not grind my teeth flat.

We went to dinner last night and I had the kid drive because his mom had not been driving with him or ridden in his car except for a few minutes the day we gave it to him. The kid had driven himself to the recruiters office for Commander's Call earlier in the day and the restaurant we were going to was near the recruiters office. I gave him instructions when we got in the car and off we went.

I was in the back, SS-18 was driving and his mom was next to him in front. The radio was on and we were having a conversation that I could not hear so I asked him to turn the radio off. He huffed but turned it off though with evident attitude. My wife stiffened a bit. A half a dozen times on the way to the restaurant he asked "is this where I turn?". Each time I told him "I don't know son, you are the driver it is your responsibility to get us there safely. Is this where you turned when you drove to Commander's call today?" More attitude and my wife got visibly more tense.

By the time we got to the resaurant she was cranky as hell. Not at the kid but at me. She was in total mommy mode with the kid.

On the way home we decided to go to HEB (the grocery store) for milk, yogurt and cereal. She gave him directions and he got us there. We shopped then got back in the car to go home. We told SS to take us home. He had no idea how to get us home and we were less than 100yds from the expressway that he had driven three X that day. He ended up going entirely the wrong way, got pissy when we tried to correct him and by the time we got home my wife was wound way tight. Again, not at the kid, at me.

I don't get tight, I address the problem, vent and move on. Or at least I thought I did until my dentist told me if I did not get a night guard I would not have teeth in 10yrs.

The kid is actually a good driver as far as the mechanics of driving are concerned but he absolutely has no ability to project himself forward to pre-analyze where he is going and how he will get there.

He lives his life between two blinks. The one he just took and the next one. He does not even consider what has to be done on the other side of the next blink and remembers nothing of what occured prior to last blink.

I am concerned that he is going to end up hurting himself and someone else because he literally can not think beyond what he is doing right now. When you are driving the focus is on what is ahead of you, behind you, beside you and the risks that are associated with all of those things.

Then there was the radio and his gate pass. I spent days researching cars and finding the one that had all of the cool stuff that kids tend to like that met our price range. He has one radio stationed programmed. I asked him if he had set up the stations for Sirrius radio. He said no, this is the only one he will listen to. When he is riding with me he is always surfing to the commedy channels, several music channels, etc......

So, I told him if he was only going to listen to one station that I would not extend his satelite radio service past the 90day introductory service. He got tight jawed and said "FINE". My wife got more tense.

As we pulled in to our development gate entrance he had to fumble with his wallet to get his gate pass card out. I asked why it was not in his console where it was easy to get. "I like it in my wallet". I told him he did not need it except when in his car, he looses his wallet frequently so leave it in the car. He put it back in his wallet. I told him to leave it in his car. He argued and left it in his wallet. My wife got more tense.

While were were turning out the lights my wife said "I don't mind when you give advice but you do not have to repeat yourself a half a dozen times if he does not take it and people don't have to follow your advice." Instead of thinking about my response I said "If I did not expect people to follow my advice I would not waste my breath by giving it." Rolled over, turned out the lights and went to sleep.

My wife and I are extremely in synch, happy and enjoy our time together unless the Skid is there. When SS is there, I make sure I am very "busy" at work. I will be working until 9:00 I think. China is bound to need something late in the day.

It is difficult for me to understand how I can love my son so much but like him almost not at all. How we can have such a good time as a family then only minutes later all be wound as tight as an 8 day clock.

It really is time for him to be on his own.

Sigh.