Is 13 Too Young To Drive?

It must have been easier to orchestrate the D-Day invasion than it is to arrange for The Pony to be properly picked up each day. Storming the beach at Normandy? What do you need, some boats and some soldiers? Couple of phone calls? Done!

The Pony was required to attend a Beta Club Coronation tonight. Truth be told, he was also supposed to attend the dance that followed...but how can you mandate a kid to be sociable? His sponsor said that she was trying to make a point, that kids want to join everything and contribute to nothing. Still, letters were sent to Beta Club prospects asking them to join. Which is a bit different.

The Pony went through his induction last year. He bought the T-shirt. He declined to attend the end-of-the-year trip to Six Flags. He doesn't like roller coasters. He bought the shirt this year. He happily got his picture take for the yearbook. He was willing to sit through the coronation. But he draws the line at dancing.

Because we live 30 minutes from school, and because The Pony did not have academic practice, and because I did not want to hang around from 3:00 until 6:30, I had to make arrangements so The Pony was not abandoned.

The #1 son had robot practice and then a basketball game that he wanted to attend. He couldn't take The Pony to his grandma's house after school, due to missing robots. Their state competition is Saturday. He couldn't leave to take him from Grandma's to the coronation, because he would miss the game.

I didn't want to ask Grandma to pick up The Pony after school, because I wanted her to drop him off at the coronation at 6:00. Two trips would not be fair, even though she only lives 15 minutes from school.

Farmer H was the delegated pick-up man at 6:30, and doesn't get home from work until 5:00.

So I ended up driving The Pony to Grandma's house at 3:45, after getting some of my afterschool work done.

By the time I got home at 5:00, I had made three calls to Farmer H, two calls to Grandma, and one call and a personal visit with #1, all concerning the proper disposal of The Pony and his laptop, which could not be taken to the coronation, necessitating a special side trip to Grandma's to get it later.

I am exhausted. Simply watching The Amazing Race contestants try to book the quickest flights wears me out as well.