Teenagers !!!

As a “born again bachelor” (meaning that I was single again), I felt that a single boot mat at the back door would suffice. Until my daughter became a teenager, got her driver’s licence (I rarely see my car anymore) and brings home her entourage. They toss shoes and boots all over the place, that generally end up in the main freeway of folks walking in and out of the door. I am constantly amazed that with this great diaspora that none of their boots make it to the mat.

So, I experimented. I bought a much larger boot mat, which I put right beside the door. I moved my boot mat with my two sets of boots across the hall. All to no avail.

I tried placing their boots onto the new mat, so that they might get the idea of what it was for. Months of observation have also produced nil results.

What do these kids do in their own homes?

After every gathering of the hordes, I end up with a plethora of clothing and accoutrements. I could hold a garage sale with their leavings. I have several “hoodies”, two sleeping bags, a snow shovel and a couple of axes all unclaimed for several years now.

Do their parents not induce upon them the value of possessions?

A group of my high school chums used to congregate at buddy’s cottage near Bobcaygeon every September for a couple of decades but we hadn’t for the past eight years. Since moving to Idle Acres, I had been lobbying them for years to come up here for something different.

Surprisingly, it all came together and five of them showed up here last weekend for a reunion. We had an absolute riot. My stomach hurt for days from laughing so much.

In cleaning up Sunday afternoon, after their departure, guess what I found? A pair of white snow boots, a pair of hiking boots, a pair of gloves, a toque, two CD’s and a guitar pick.