The real X-Men.

So assuming most of you haven't heard the story I will give you the basic facts. On Friday morning, an unloaded handgun was found in the bathroom of Warrens O'Plaine campus where my son is a sophomore. 2 thoughts immediately went through my head when he sent me a text message (the school actually TOLD the students to text/call their parents, bravo!! ) relating the news. 1) he was safe in his classroom with about 30 other students and 2) don't tell the wife until it is all over. Before I could even finish the second thought my phone was ringing. You see, he had sent the text to both of us.

I could hear it in her voice, she was fraught with both concern and worry. I'm leaning towards the 80/20 split with worry the big winner. OK 90/10. I wasn't worried in the slightest. Yes even with school shootings across the country in the last 10 years a painful reality, I was concerned about the fact that this hit so close to home this time, but I will repeat...I was not worried. I heard his voice on the phone, and there are probably 2500 kids on campus. Doing the math in my head I knew the odds were slim that he was in harms way. I am not a worrier by nature, as the wife seems to have us both covered on that front.

Is this a girl/guy thing? Or am I alone on this? Does it make me an unconcerned parent? I think I involve my self TOO much sometimes in my sons life. For instance. In our school you can go on the web site and check each class, grade for grade, on every test, quiz, homework assignment, binder check, lab report and speech. (If they had this when I was in HS my life would have been HELL.) Sometimes even before he comes home from school I will be standing at the front door wanting an explanation for the D he got in English 2 hours ago. So at the end of his 1st semester the teacher asks the class who wants to know how many time their parents had checked up on them. Hands shot up and students heard numbers like 52, 26, one kid got a chuckle when his number was 95. Our number? 156. Poor kid was the laughing stock of the class. But I was never worried that he would fail, just wanted to make sure his freshman year got off on the right foot. But the wife? After 2 weeks she was in tears over his grades, sick with worry that he wouldn't graduate and go to college. Again, I wanted him to get with the program a little better but the thought of not getting his diploma in 4 years never entered my mind. She was consumed by it.

So dear readers help me out. Am I alone? How does it work in your house? Are there guys who lose sleep when their young teen stays out late? Or when they first get their drivers license? Or do we all sit on the couch with remote in one hand while mindlessly scratching with the other telling the better half to relax? Am I a heartless bastard or is it just that damned extra x-chromosome gumming up the works?