Punk Kids

While in the car yesterday, Hot Daddy was telling me about some punk kids that were fooling around on the road. They were passing each other on curves, racing up and then slowing down, and generally trying to kill them selves and any other unlucky people in cars. At the end of his story he got quiet for a second and then said, mostly to himself, "I wonder when they became punk kids".

I know he wasn't wondering at what age those boys became miscreants, but rather at what age he began to see them as miscreants instead of his compatriots.

I laughed a little bit at him, but I think the answer is "when he got smart enough to really see the possible outcome to their antics." When we got married, it was definitely the back of the bus kid marrying the front of the bus kid. He liked to misbehave, I liked to behave. He and his friends suped up cars, skipped school, and misappropriated their parent's alcohol. I think I glorified his pre-me lifestyle. I thought his antics made great stories. Now...not so much.

Now defacing park benches seems like a waste of taxpayer money and a financial burden on parks that are already facing closure. Now reving engines on the street seems like noise pollution and makes me fear for the little children that might dart out. Now wrecking a restored 914 by taking a corner too fast and driving it into the rail seems like a ridiculous waste of time, money, and behavior that doesn't take into account the suffering one's family will endure if you are hurt.

Now the quippy little sayings, like "you can look but you can't touch" and "it doesn't hurt to get your appetite out as long as you remember to eat in", aren't funny in the face of the never-ending stream of broken marriages. I'm so tired of telling hubby that "so and so is getting a divorce".

I guess the good news is that Hot Daddy shares my perspective and gave up all his bad-boy behavior while he was dating me (with the exception of the motorcycle). Hmm. Now that I think of it, perhaps those teenagers became "punk kids" when he began to see them through my eyes.

Now it is time to go do the dishes. Ughhh.