Yes you’re over 18; yes you’re legally considered an adult; yes you have proven on most occasions you are making good choices.  But to your mom, you will always be her baby, no matter how old you are.

Perhaps you can identify with this scenario:

Twenty-something year old daughter is working full time plus going to school and living at home with her parents. There is no history of shenanigans or illegal activity.  Daughter opts to go out with friends after work; figures there will be some cocktailing; ensures there is a designated driver and notifies parents that she will be staying at a friend’s house that night.

Sounds reasonable, right?  “Don’t worry Mom, I’ll be fine.” Guess what? Mom still worries.  Mom doesn’t sleep well that night and won’t completely rest until she hears from you again. All that time she doesn’t hear from you – what is she thinking? Not that you’re making poor choices, but that someone may have slipped you a mickey or that you were abducted in the parking lot or that a drunk driver hit your sober driver on the way home. That’s just the way most moms are wired.

You can roll your eyes and think Mom is being overprotective and ridiculous; perhaps she might be.  However, even as a twenty-something year old, and especially if you’re still living at home, it would really put everyone at ease if you just called dear old Mom, even at three o’clock a.m. to tell her that you’ve landed safely for the night.

Adult kids: Next time you are going out and don’t plan on sleeping at home – just call your mom, it’ll save her a few more wrinkles.

“Mothers are all slightly insane.” ~ J.D. Salinger