Kind of a silly request, but....

Today is my son's 21st birthday, and he's going out with a bunch of friends tonight. I'm excited for him, but I can't help but worry. I am under no delusions that he won't be drinking, and it's ok with me if he has some, but I just hope he uses good judgement and doesn't go overboard, or that his friends don't pressure him. You hear the stories about 21 year olds and alcohol poisoning, you know? I can't help but turn into a worry wart right about now.

Anyway, if you could please keep Brendan in your prayers for tonight, I would greatly appreciate it.

Amy, I feel for you....My Josh was drinking before he turned 21....had some friends that could buy the stuff....My problem is, alcoholism runs in the family and I had preached to my boys about the evils of it and Josh didn't listen. Turns out, he has had full alcohol poisoning and is basically an alcoholic. He has been sober for a little over a year and I have to give his wonderful girlfriend credit for that, since he wants to be a better person for her. I pray Brendan uses the "mature" part of his brain while out tonight.

Will do. I've already been through that one.

ok.I understand that.

Understood.

Prayers and good wishes for Brendan, Amy. And as an added bonus, Fife is turning a blind eye to the header.

I'll be praying for him.

Thanks everyone. I appreciate it!

Rhonda, I really feel for you too. I can only imagine how tough that is for you, as a mom. And, alcoholism is in our family as well. So yeah...I think we tend to be even more in tuned to even the 'little things'. That is awesome that Josh has been sober for a year!! Sometimes it really is all about who they come in contact with....obviously this girl is really good for him. Oh, and Happy Birthday to Josh too! Isn't that coming up?! Or has it past. I swear, every year I get confused. I just know Brendan & Josh's bdays are really close.


And Brendan's been exposed to drinking in college (he's in his third year and it's pretty tough to escape it altogether), but he's not the 'partying' type; he really isn't. But this will be his first time out 'on the town', since he's now officially legal.

He just left with his best buddy who is the designated driver, and I know that I can trust that he won't be drinking. (He is like a 'pseudo son' to me and I trust him implicitly). He assures me he'll 'take care' of Brendan. I guess that could be taken a couple of different ways! But no, I know they're going to be careful...I have faith in Brendan too. No offense to the young people here on the board, but somehow even if you have all the confidence in the world in your kid, there is this little voice that says, "He's just a kid. And kids make mistakes." And they do---we all know this because we've been there! So, my worry is for that. It's going to be a long night for me.


And Fife, you're the best. But I took care of it anyway.

Ah yes....May! My 'baby' is only 16....but the problem with the babies is that you know from experience just how quickly that time goes. Already I can't believe that my youngest will be graduating from high school in two years. THAT is unfathomable to me. And I'm already thinking about planning his open house/scrapbooks, because I know how quickly this next two years will go!

I'll pray for him. Drinking too much is a real problem and lots of young people does it. I'll pray for him, Amy. It's normal that you are concerned about your boy. You are a good mother.

Vanesa.

Sorry I missed this, Amy. You have my prayers. Let us know how everything went.

Thanks Vanesa & Teresa.


Well, let's just say that he'll have a decent sized hangover today. But he's safe.


I'm cool with this ONE birthday, but this better not become a habit, that's all I have to say.


Thanks for all your prayers, guys.

Just seeing this too. Now we know why we see the gray hairs huh?
Glad it all went okay....I'll probably be asking the same at some point. I pray over Nathan every time he starts the car right now.

I'm sorry I missed this, but I'm glad he made it home safe and sound.

I don't think it was a silly request at all. I know I will worry when that day comes for my kids too. The truth is, I worry about it now even though Devin is only 17. He's a great kid, and he has a wonderful group of friends, but like you mentioned, they are kids and they sometimes make mistakes. And, we'll just say, I wasn't perfect when I was his age, so that makes me shudder even more.

Thanks Gin & Pam. Yep, I think I earned a couple of new gray hairs that night, Gin!


And Pam, that's just it----I'm pleased with the friends both my boys have, but it's still the 'kids will be kids' thing that gets me. So far Nick (16) has his head on straight too, but I always worry about the possibilities of getting mixed up in the wrong crowd eventually. Hopefully they'll both just keep it as this 'milestone' celebrating thing (ahem, not before 21!!!), and that's it. Probably wishful thinking, but that's what gets me through my days. Some comfort that I got was that Brendan's best friend told me that he really didn't think that the 'bar scene' was really Brendan's thing. I am relieved to hear that!