"The sickening thing is that there was a mother there who KNEW he was missing. We knew his friends were lying for him, but never thought adults would be, including the owners of "THE BLACK HOLE" _________________________________________________
Cecelia,
After you have hugged marc and resisted the temptation to kill him for scaring you so much, I hope Marc realizes that "grounded" has such a new meaning.
20 years ago I ran away from home. When I finally returned 12 hours later (with the help of a tatletale friend of a mother), I lost my bedroom door and everything except a weeks worth of clothes, a bed, linens, and a small desk with chair and three pencils and two pens to go with it. I had to EARN everything back. It took me three months to earn my door back.
Your son may be thinking "it wasn't a big deal" but a lot of us were worried sick about him and some of us don't even know him. Trust me when I say, when I got my room back (15 months later) and my freedom to go to my friends (18 months later) it was the best feeling ever. I never did it again. Too this day (I'm 37), I have never ever forgotten that punishment.
As far as the "grown up mom" is concerned, I would sue her for misleading the police in an active search for a missing youngster. Granted it is only a misdeamear but the fine alone would make her wake up. Community service with abused and neglected children may also wake her up to her wrong doing. Plus who the heck in this day and age listens to a teenager when the mother is on the other end of the telephone begging through tears "have you seen my son Marc" and when she says "No" even though he is eating froot loops right in her kitchen.
I'd also write a letter to the editor SLAMMING the Owners of the Black Hole.
Then again, it is the NY'er in me who occassionally gets into people's face when I'm upset.
I'm just soooo happy Marc is home.
Love Kate