mom...mom...mom...MOM!

[kirstenhill]

You know how younger kids will do the "mom, mom, mom, MOM" thing even if Dad is nearby? Here's the teenage equivalent.  DS14 needed to ride his bike to school today, as his older sister (who drives to school) is staying after school and he needed to come home right away to get ready for his late afternoon activity.  He was getting ready to go at the same time as I was driving away to take DS12 to his first day of classes at a homeschool tutorial.  He literally sees me drive away.  Five minutes later I see a text on my fitbit saying, "mom, my chain fell off".   I'm assuming that he started biking and the chain fell off a little way from home and it's too messed up to fix on the side of the road.  That happened with this bike once before.

But, #1, why did he text? I'm driving, so I can't text.  But, he doesn't drive yet so maybe he forgot that you can't text and drive. #2, Why didn't he call/text DH?  I pull over to call him because DS12 is sitting too far back in the van to make the call for me.  I've really got to learn how to do voice dialing.  

When I call him, I immediately start telling him to just call dad instead because I'm driving in the opposite direction with DS12 can't come rescue him.  But then he asks if he can take his mountain bike to school so that he doesn't have to fix the road bike.  Because...get this...HE IS STILL IN THE GARAGE! 😳🤷‍♀️😂   Arrggg...I'm like, "no, don't ride the [very expensive] mountain bike, just get dad. He is in the house. He will help you."  He starts to say something about fixing the chain, but I reiterate to talk to dad, and  I hang up.

Getting home from dropping off DS12, I see DH and start trying to commiserate with him about why DS14 texted me instead of getting him.  And he looks super perplexed.  I peek in the garage, thinking he took the mountain bike after all, but no...it's still there and the road bike is gone.  He must have taken the time to fix the chain and then leave.  He never went to get DH.   DH pointed out that DS14 definitely knows how to fix most chain problems.  I guess he just wanted to save time by taking the other bike? I can't imagine it saved any time after having to call me.   But...again...why did he text me at all when DH was clearly in the house! (And not even started working yet for the day, though DS14 may not have known that).  I'm not mad...just....really befuddled by the whole thing! I need to figure out if he got marked tardy though...since if he was, I'm expected to call the school and give a reason. It's tempting to say he was late due to lack of common sense.  😁

[hjffkj]

My go to response to any question directed at me if I know dh is anywhere in the area is, "go ask dad."  not because I can't answer them or help them but because most of the time they have left the room their dad was in to ask me something he could have answered.  And I'd guess 80% of the time they go without instead of asking dh.  I don't understand because of the two parents he is so much more likely to say yes to something than I am.

[Sneezyone]

My kids will walk right past DH in the kitchen (who is only present because he's on leave/vacation) to ask me what's for dinner. SMH.

[Katy]

I would assume he didn’t break the chain at all, and just wanted to take the more expensive bike. 

[RootAnn]

3 hours ago, hjffkj said:

And I'd guess 80% of the time they go without instead of asking dh.  I don't understand because of the two parents he is so much more likely to say yes to something than I am.

This is all true here, too! I don't understand it!

[Spryte]

Cue the Phineas and Ferb montage of Candace yelling, “Mom!” over and over…

[kbutton]

3 hours ago, hjffkj said:

My go to response to any question directed at me if I know dh is anywhere in the area is, "go ask dad."  not because I can't answer them or help them but because most of the time they have left the room their dad was in to ask me something he could have answered.  And I'd guess 80% of the time they go without instead of asking dh.  I don't understand because of the two parents he is so much more likely to say yes to something than I am.

DH is more likely to say No to a lot of things, so that is part of why I get more questions. Or else, he's not in the loop on whatever the kids want to know.

What is it though about boys and bike chains...and tires? I don't think I've ever had a bike chain pop off, and I don't think I've ever had a flat on a bike. My brother, DH, and kids (both boys), have these issues perpetually, lol! 

[Indigo Blue]

4 hours ago, kirstenhill said:

It's tempting to say he was late due to lack of common sense.  😁

Before we pulled ds out of public school in 4th grade, I had to sign him in late (Dr. appointment) one morning. You had to state a reason for signing in late on the blank line beside your name. Right above my name, the reason the mom gave for signing in late with her son was “Boy slow.” We still laugh about that to this day. 

[Junie]

One time when we were all in the van, one of the kids asked me, "Hey Mom, when is Dad going to do ....?"  Um, Dad is literally right here.  Ask him.

[MooCow]

That totally sounds like something my adult kids would do lol! 

[hjffkj]

2 hours ago, Junie said:

One time when we were all in the van, one of the kids asked me, "Hey Mom, when is Dad going to do ....?"  Um, Dad is literally right here.  Ask him.

this happens ALL the time in my house.  For questions like that I just do not respond.  Most of the time dh doesn't even hear the question because he doesn't listen to surrounding noises unless some addresses him. So the kid just keeps asking me until they finally realize I am not going to answer.  Then of course they usually go without the info instead of simply asking dad.

[Garga]

5 hours ago, kbutton said:

What is it though about boys and bike chains...and tires? I don't think I've ever had a bike chain pop off, and I don't think I've ever had a flat on a bike. My brother, DH, and kids (both boys), have these issues perpetually, lol! 

Same thing happens here. I never even knew chains could fall off, but when my ds16 started riding bikes a lot, his was always popping off and my dh taught him how to fix it, because apparently dh’s chains were always popping off when he was a kid. What are they *doing* on their bikes???

For the OP:

There’s just something about mamas. My cats are the same way (except one who is completely besotted by my oldest son.). For the 4 other cats, they just act different around me. I’m their mama in a way that no one else in the house is. 

My friend’s kids used to wake her up from naps to ask her questions, while her dh was wide awake in the living room. She would get soooooo furious. And these were teenagers, not toddlers.

[hjffkj]

Omg, it just happened!!! Dd asked me, 'what's dad looking for' as he's searching around the room we're all in. 

Edited September 14, 2021 by hjffkj

[El...]

My kid once interrupted my shower to ask for a tangerine or something. Dh was sitting in the kitchen!

[klmama]

I sometimes think I have "Ask Me!" on my forehead.  Even dh will ask me things about our dc, when he could easily just ask dc instead.   

[73349]

A lot of times at our house I think it's because DH doesn't know what DS is usually allowed to do and will refer it to me anyway. Until last year, DH was away at work nearly all of DS's waking hours during the week. I think sometimes also it's because like a PP's, my DH is not listening for questions and has to be asked anything repeatedly.