"I'M PROBABLY mistaken but I thought I saw your son hanging around at the mall. Hanging. At the mall. Your son," said my friend.
"No way, I thought," she continued. "Not the son of a woman who once wrote the local economy's downfall could be traced to teens 'roaming the corridors of Marley Station like packs of wild animals marking their territory with the scent of Polo, Nautica and Old Spice.' "
I made a mental note to refrain from voicing my opinions in print, a medium that has crept out from beneath a refrigerator magnet to haunt me more than once.
Admittedly, I've deposited my children at the mall entrance. And yes, I occasionally call out, "I'll meet you in the Disney Store as soon as I park the car" in a pathetic attempt to persuade smokers hovering at the doorway that I'm a responsible parent.
Funny how parenting teen-agers humbles one.
"It's OK. Sometimes we all buckle under the challenge," she comforted.
It's a downward spiral. First, it's a trip to the mall alone and before you know it, your 13-year-old is dating unchaperoned because you simply can't handle sitting through another Jim Carrey movie.
Soon, your color coordinated telephone schedule is the punch line of a joke shared in the cafeteria and you find yourself sneaking out to the driveway to use the car phone for an uninterrupted conversation.
My friend was quiet for a moment.
"I don't care for Jim Carrey movies," she whispered.
Make that humble pie for two, Glen Burnie.
Training for parents
Being better parents is the goal of a "Parenting for Success" training seminar from 8 a.m. to 3: 30 p.m. Tuesday at the Family Involvement Center, 330 Oak Manor Drive.
The free, one-day course is open to parents, counselors, educators and service providers. It teaches techniques and skills necessary to lead parent groups in school and community settings.
Register by calling the Family Involvement Center, 222-6429.
Blood bank
Glen Burnie Methodist Church is holding to a Red Cross-sponsored blood drive from noon to 8 p.m. Monday in the church hall at Second Avenue and Crain Highway N.W.
The drive is in response to a request by the Red Cross to help replenish dangerously low blood supplies at area banks.
This is the second blood drive 17-year-old Brandon Renninger has coordinated for the church. In July, the congregation donated 30 pints of blood. Brandon's goal for Monday's drive is 35 pints.
Donors must be at least 17 and weigh more than 110 pounds. They may not have donated in the past 56 days.
Information: Renninger, 437-5829.
Winter Dance
Tickets are still available for the annual Winter Dance from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 1451 Furnace Ave.
Admission is $10 and includes a light dinner, beer, set-up, snacks and a raffle for a large stuffed animal.
Music will be provided by DJs Frog and Chess.
Ticket information: 766-1102.
Semester exams
Glen Burnie High School students will follow an abbreviated schedule this week to accommodate semester exams. Exams are scheduled for today, tomorrow and Friday. Two two-hour exams will be given each of the three days.
Classes will begin at 7: 17 a.m. and be dismissed at 11: 55 a.m.
All county schools will be closed Monday and Tuesday for teacher in-service workdays.
Information: school office, 761-8950.
Pub Date: 1/22/97
