(no subject)

[withimpunity]

Situation:

My mom and dad live with my elderly, senile grandmother. My brother has been spending his time at my house when not as school or work or his girlfriend's, pretty much. He stayed here the entire summer. Now that school started back, he sleeps at his house during the week, but its a given that he'll be here Friday night and Saturday night. My mom just assumes that he's here because that's what she does.

The thing is he's seventeen and thinks he's not accountable to anyone, why does anyone care where he is or what he does or when he comes home. That said, he's never got to my house later than ten o'clock. His girlfriend is younger than him and has a pretty strict curfew and well, there's just not much to do in this town lol.

Anyway, we had an incident a few months ago where he didn't show up one Saturday night. I called, I texted, nothing. I wasn't freaking out or anything, but I did feel like if something happened to him (an accident, etc) then I would feel bad for not knowing where he was, since I'm apparently the only one who CARES. Anyway, I talked about it to him calmy and just said, "Hey, if you're not gonna stay here just text me. If you're not gonna be here till 1 am? I don't care, just let me know." He acted like a teenage boy, eye rolling and I don't see what the big deal is, but he was fine with it and a couple of times since then he has done that, texted me to let me know he's going to be late or stay at his house, what have you.

Well, last night it was getting pretty late. I figured he was just staying at his house or at my sisters house since they moved closer to him, I wasn't even going to fret. BUT he specifically sent me a text saying "I'm coming there tonight." So I was like, okay. Told my husband to leave the door unlocked for him, that he'd probably be around soon. I woke up around 1 am and he wasn't there. I checked my phone, no messages. I called him, left 3 texts. Nothing, of course. He was probably asleep.

So I called my mom this morning and apparently he slept there and she's clueless as per usual. I tried to get up with my sister to whine/complain at her and get my brother in law instead (we hate each other) and ended up explaining a little bit about why I was calling and he kind of went off about how he's seventeen and he doesn't understand why I care so much so he's just going to keep doing it. Apparently my sister was still asleep.

I am just so over people telling me I'm overreacting about things when they don't react AT ALL. But..am I overreacting? I mean, I'm not going off on my brother or anything. I'm just a little pissed that he can't take two seconds to text, "not coming," or something so I didn't leave my door unlocked and then sit up worrying for an hour about how if he's in a ditch somewhere, my mom won't have any clue where he is and apparently neither do I.

I DON'T KNOW, I AM NOT THE PARENT OF A SEVENTEEN YEAR EXCEPT APPARENTLY I AM. I don't know. Is seventeen when you're supposed to stop caring and just let them do whatever? But then, he's my little brother. I'm allowed to care, right? Especially when no one else is?

I don't know. I hate having feelings.