Recently my son came home outraged that he was falsely accused of not performing a task at work…taking out the trash. Lord knows I’ve made this (true) claim, Jeez I don’t know, a million times just in the last month.

Apparently, my timing was way off when I asked the very justified question of  …”well, did you forget to take it out?” Suddenly, my kid transforms into Al Pacino in…And Justice for All.

Hands start flailing, he is pacing back and forth over the insinuation of my question. Clearly, he forgot he was talking to his mother, the woman who must PLEAD with him to empty the overflowing trashcan that he keeps walking past. 

The first statement of his defense is presented … “Mom, I get paid to take out the trash at work, its different.”  Note to self: clean cloths, food & shelter are not considered payment. 

His wheels are spinning. He is going to gather the troops, march in there and demand to know who dared to make this false accusation. He wants the security tapes viewed to prove, without a reasonable doubt, that he did indeed take the trash out. “It better not be nameless, oh..it better not be him!”  “He does nothing, absolutely nothing and he isn’t going to blame me..he is so lazy!” Arthur Kirkland has officially entered the living room.  

As a parent, his passionate behavior leaves me wondering if “trash” is some new slang term for armed robbery. Oh, don’t think I didn’t look it up on Urban Dictionary. I am happy to report it is still slang for a person who is dirty and stupid. Friends, that will have to be addressed at a later date, back to the trial.

Apparently there was a little more to the story and his outrage was in response to the disappointment he experienced in….the Silence.  He received a phone call asking him to come over to work for a talk. We all know those words rarely mean “come on over so we can tell you how great you are”  and off he went.

Well, this is where he learned that an older co-worker was throwing him under the bus. I’m going out on a limb here, but I’m guessing this person doesn’t know my son is rarely intimidated. He listened to what the gentleman had to say, then politely informed him that he did take out the trash, in fact the owner was there and helped him to the dumpster. Needless to say it got heated, but he left feeling like he won his case, while presenting a case against his accuser.

He was outraged that his friends/co-workers didn’t back him up. They stood there silent as he went on his rant. After the dust settled they came to tell him “that was great, nameless had that coming, we were thinking the same thing.”  He was just crushed. This is a tough thing to swallow at any age, but at 17 when your friends are so important, it’s tragic.

The utter disbelief in the Silence is because he has never feared asking questions to satisfy his curiosity. It seems like yesterday when he was approaching a stranger to inquire “why is your head square? Now he is confronting co-workers about their deceptive motives. I love the … just because your bigger, stronger or older doesn’t make you better and me less attitude.

As his mother, I hope to witness this characteristic blossom into its full potential, not just for him, but for all of those who don’t have a voice. Remember: Speak up…even if your voice shakes. Speak out…even if you’re standing alone and as always…Enjoy the Ride!