The Moderate Life

 My mom and I grew up in very different times.  Now, in my college days
away from home, it is easy to overlook the differences and assume she
went  through the same issues that I am dealing with.  The difference
was shockingly apparent when I went home this year for fall break. 

One night, as I got ready to go to a friend's house, Mom asked me what
time I thought I would be home.  I responded to her that I wasn't
sure..it might be late, or I might just spend the night with a friend.
That response did little to satisfy her, and in reality, it raised
her concern even more.  Mom then retorted with a snappy comment about
how things were done in her day.  Back in the day when a date met a
girl's father before he even thought about "taking her to dinner",
much less to a late night party. Oh how things have changed. 

Living in my fast paced life, I can't help but wonder if things were easier
in Mom's day, with less fuss and less drama.  Although the moderate
life that Mom led appeals to me, I remind myself, as I hop in my car
around midnight to face the adventures of a college student, that I am
lucky for the freedom I have everyday to be my own person with my own
agenda.

Holly King