Excuse Me, Please watch where you're walking. Thats my heart your stepping on.

There are times when the rewards of parenting are greatly overshadowed by the thunderclouds of youth.  I can VIVIDLY remember some of my less then stellar moments as both child and young adult. Like the time when I was six and tried to drive my mothers Volkswagen beetle...into the garage door.  Surprisingly I was able to walk away from that, not the crash...my mother.  How she managed to remain calm and rather then punish me (well..as harshly as I deserved) comforted me as a cried uncontrollably,I'll never quite understand. Perhaps seeing how distressed I was at my rash and stupid impulsive act soften her somewhat.  When Angela and I began to have children, we (having both been...adventurous youths) knew there were risks.  Risks that our children would too display certain compulsive behaviors, but were more then capable of dealing with your average youthful angst and indiscretions.
Or so we thought.
Kaleb will be spending the next three days on the States dime. 
Still on probation from last years run in with the law (think BB gun and running from the police) he has STRICT guidelines he must adhere to.  Going to school and STAYING there being one of them.  Apparently he had no interest in staying in school today (according to his older brother he's angry with me, because I punished him for stealing?) This coupled with some other issues once again led him to juvie.  And to top it off YESTERDAY was his judicial review.  Having to take a half a day off from work to drag him down to the courthouse and sit in front of judge telling him he needed to get on track and follow his probation to the letter! 
I won't bore you with a tyrannical diatribe about the "problem with kids today" or questions as to how this happens, how can a person hit their thumb with a hammer so many times but NOT, eventually move their thumb!?
Sad part is, when the kids good...he's good.  he's a hard worker, helps around the house and the shop, and if he could just pry his head loose from his ass he'd have a lot to offer.  I just hope he can survive his teenage years.