It's 8 AM - Do You Know Where Your Child Is?

I got a phone call Wednesday morning from my friend, Trisha. Like me, she was suffering a non-alcohol induced "election hang-over" and had decided that she was going to splurge and treat herself to a $5 Starbucks coffee.

She walks in the door and who is standing at the front counter but her 11-year-old son and his friend, who had set out for school on their bikes ten minutes earlier.

"Uh, hello?" said Trish. "What do you think you're doing here?"

Getting hot chocolate was the answer. She sent them off to school and turned to the lady working the counter. "How often are they in here?" she asked.

"Oh, probably 3, maybe 4 times a week," came the reply.

Like me, Trisha's first question was where was he getting the money for this? "I don't drink Starbucks 3-4 times a week because I can't afford it," she said. Apparently her son has a major caffeine-money hook-up. Which leads to problem #2.

"I'm raising an addict," said Trisha.

I think it's funny. You think you know your kids, who they are, what they do... and they are always full of surprises.