I'll make this quick. Just an amusing little annoyance. It always amazes me how much BM is willing to take without even blinking...while considering it her due, really. Seriously...she's always, always, always asking for more from us. To the extent that it's comical and, if DH and I ever ask each other for any kind of really huge, inconvenient "favor" or any big chunk of money for something we want, we refer to it as "pulling a (BM's First Name)" As in, "Hey babe. I don't mean to 'pull a (BM's First Name), but is there any way you could __________________."

I could rattle off hundreds of examples, but this latest one just made me shake my head. BM, DH, and I were talking on the porch about upcoming birthdays, graduations, etc. BM and DH were lamenting about SS17's poor college prospects and how to help him launch. He has been an awful student, though he is a good kid. He's creative and a natural leader...he is intelligent, just not good at school...and he doesn't try at his school work. He'd rather be out working with his hands, creating things with his friends. There's a really good 2-year tech program for what he wants to do at a school in state, near the beach, about three hours away. I'm the one who suggested it, and he's going for a visit the first week of May. I think it would be great for him...very affordable. More importantly, it would give him some distance from BM, which he really needs if he's going to do any growing up.

There's also a more expensive small liberal arts college here locally that has a good program, though it's more "academic" and less hands-on and practical. BM wishes he would check out this program, too, but doesn't know how she will possibly afford half. Sigh. Probably no point even looking. She then says that she even looked into teaching there so he could have free tuition, but she can't get full-time status because she just has an M.A., not an M.F.A. so there's no point. Oh well. It would be so convenient...he could even keep living at home for free...

I then jokingly say: "Oh, well. Maybe I should just teach there, then." The gleam that came into her eyes! She didn't realize I was kidding and was ready to hop all over that offer the second I said it. I mean, really. I have a VERY good job that I enjoy and that I can do from home. That allows me to travel and spend time with my family. But I'm going to give all that up and go back into the classroom so that my under-achieving SS will have free college tuition? Really? I honestly don't know what goes on in BM's mind. It just seems soooo obvious that a kid who has never succeeded at traditional school even once in his life (not even in elementary school) should NOT be handed free four-year college. He needs to start with this inexpensive two-year program, he needs to start seeing some success at something...he needs to enroll and pay for it. Just my opinion.