Sneakin' around

Little did I know that as a parent of teenagers, I'd still be sneaking stuff from my kids. Like back in the day, when they were little, I would have to sneak pop or sneak a snack that I didn't want to share with them. I would wait till they took a nap and then eat something I told them they couldn't have or if they wanted gum, I would sneak a piece and then barely chew it so they had no clue I had gum. Or sometimes it wasn't food. Like I would have to sneak away to go to the bathroom so they didn't know I left the room or I'd have to sneak out of their bedroom after they fell asleep, super stealth like so they didn't know I left. Or sneaking out of the house for a date night when they were babies, leaving the babysitter to deal with their shock. Always sneaking!

Well, I realized here I am again umpteen years later and still sneaking. However, this time it's not for snacks or gum but for probably the most important item in our teenage house. The cell phone, you say? Oh no! The tv, the iPad? Nope.... The end all of their lives, the CHARGER! That simple white cord and little white box that is their lifeline to the outer world. It's literally like oxygen to them and an extension of their bodies in the evenings.

I've never seen two humans panic more than when they can't find a charger. One minute they are walking around as normal, sane young women but as the battery power of their phones begins to decrease, they start to casually search for their fix. They continue to use the phone but wander around the house, glancing in every room for that infamous white cord. They check all the outlets, under beds, behind furniture and under couches. Then as the battery life reaches a mere 2 percent, their anxiety starts to build and panic sets in. That normal kid an hour ago is now a raving maniac willing to rip down walls if it meant there was a charger cord in it. They're dumping backpacks, ransacking closets and outside rifling through car consoles, all while screaming frantically at all the family members who unfortunately are within their vicinity. Their hair is a mess and they stomp around all wild-eyed and uttering multiple accusations at the other sister "for stealing" all the chargers.

Well..... little do they know, I have a charger of my own, hidden where they can't find it. In fact, they don't know it exists and I pray they won't sniff it out.

My phone dies too, ya know and I need mine for WAY more important reasons. Theirs is primarily for their social life. Mine is for work and for family emergencies. I have to have it charged, so that's my rationale for hiding it. Seems legit, right?! Anyway, the other day, there was one lone charger sitting on the kitchen counter. There "should" be four in the house at all times but that day there was one. That sucker was like liquid gold to those girls. As both their phones began to die, the frenzied behavior erupted and it was quite a site to see them try and come to some resolution as to who would get the desperately needed "charge". As they acted like two squirrels fighting over a nut, I noticed my battery percentage was in the red as well so I snuck upstairs and quietly plugged in my phone, hid it ever so carefully being sure to mute it so if I got a text, they wouldn't catch wind of where it was. An hour later, I had 60 percent battery life while my girls were still downstairs freaking out because they had to share one blessed charger and were only at 20 percent.

Do I feel bad about sneaking around? Nope. My opinion is, a little suffering builds character and it's just a phone. If they're breathing, have food and warm home and clothes, but have to wait a couple hours to chat with their friends, then we're all good! They didn't need pop or gum when they were two and they don't need 24/7 phone charging. Plus....they're the ones that lose the chargers anyway.

Just think it's funny that all these years later, I'm still sneaking things from them. Ha! Ha!