Date Night

Last night Maddy went out on her first real date.  She has been out with the boyfriend before, but I was always there and it was always for just an hour or so.  For Christmas the BF received tickets to Monster Jam and an extra one to take whoever he wanted.  Big surprise he wanted Maddy to go with him.  For those who don't know what Monster Jam is, it is not a rock concert, it is a Monster Truck Rally.  My pop music, celebrity watching, girl was headed straight into the mouth of madness know as Man/Boy world!

I had the normal worries that any parent will have when your child is spending the evening with other people.  Maddy might be 17 but she still has no filter and will pretty much say what she thinks.  Most of the time it is sweet and endearing, but other times, oh my.  I worried about the crowds as Maddy has no sense of direction and I hoped that the noise would not be too much for her.  My biggest fear is the fear I always have when I am not near her, and that is the fear of a seizure.   I am happy to report that Maddy was polite, did not get lost and no seizures.

The BF and his Dad picked Maddy up at 5 and off to the event they went.  It was an interesting feeling as they drove off, it was mixed with happiness for her and anxiety for me.  It makes me so happy to see Maddy being able to do something like this.  Anytime she gets to do "normal" type things I think about how much it means to me when everyone else takes things like this for granted.  

Even though most Saturday nights she is squirreled away in her room on the phone while listening to music and watching TV at the same time, the house felt empty without her.  We were not sure when she would get home, but the best guess was around 10:30.  Of course I started the clock watching at 10:00. She arrived home just after 10 so I did not have to stare at the clock too much.

Her first comments on the evening were that is was okay and the noise was not bad since the BF brought along the headphones they use when shooting guns.  She told me proudly that she did not complain at all!  I had spent some time with her earlier in the week showing her clips on You Tube so she would know some of the names of the trucks and what to expect.  I was informed that she did see both Gravedigger and Monster Mutt.  Her favorite part of the evening was the motorcycle exhibition. It will be interesting to hear as the week goes on what she tells people about Monster Jam.

When I asked would she go again she gave me a huge smile and said you bet I would!  I have a funny feeling that Mark and I are going to have more free evenings in our future.