Snow Tubing ... A Rock Band ... and A First (non)Date

<--Heavenly Ski Resort, Lake Tahoe, CA, NV. 

NOT where I was snow tubing last weekend. 

Last Saturday night, my coleader and I, took eleven 12 and 13 year old girls from our Cadette girl scout troop snow tubing at this beautiful resort roughly two hours away from our town. We've had this event on the calendar since October, so mind you, there was plenty of time to be prepared. It was very clearly established that everyone was to bring their own brown bag dinner to eat on the cold-exhaust fumed-two-hour-ride-on-a-hard-seat school bus. I FORGOT TO PACK A DINNER FOR MYSELF AND MY DAUGHTER. So we shared a baggie of pretzels on the bus. The facilities at the resort were gorgeous. There was a beautiful outdoor heated pool and hot tub--it looked so inviting as it was dimly lit and the steam was rising from the water. Inviting, indeed. As we walk past it with the girls to get from the lodge to the snow tubing hill, two young men come walking by wearing ONLY A TOWEL AROUND THEIR WAIST. I kid you not. Nice wholesome girl scout experience. Shocks and giggles later, we hit the hill and get in some fun snow tubing. Still not having eaten dinner, my daughter and I share a tiny $10 ceasar salad at 9:30 pm in the lodge. We all have a voucher for some hot cocoa before heading home, so everyone gets their 

large cocoa (sugar and caffeine at 10 pm. Oh joy.) So we get to the bus and start settling in when I notice that three of the girls used their cocoa vouchers for coffee. COFFEE! @.@ Oh yeah! And two girls met a boy on the slopes, exchanged AIM names and were IMing from the one girl's cell phone on the entire bus ride home. *sigh* I made sure I was sitting on the seat across the aisle from them so I could eavesdrop, but still. I then let the mom know about it when we got back. I wasn't sure exactly how to handle that.

But you know? That whole night was piece of cake compared to what has unfolded since. I've swiftly moved on to some new preteen drama. On Sunday evening, my daughter got asked by a group of boys in her school to join their rock band. She's first string violin in the school orchestra, and it just so happens they are looking for someone to play the violin for a few songs. Of course, I'm sure it doesn't hurt that she's also sweet, funny, and has a great figure. But what do I know? I'm just her mom. I think the first song up on the rehearsal schedule is "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan.  Anyway... I had to have a serious talk with her. I mean... she said yes without even asking them the name of their band!?Sooo important! AND she didn't find out who's on lead vocals?!! Tsk tsk. Kids these days.

Wait. There's more. Another boy, asked her to hang out with him downtown on Saturday afternoon. Alone. She claims its not a date. Okay fine. But when yet ANOTHER boy asked her to hang out this weekend, she asked the first boy if second boy could come along (they all know each other), and the first boy said, "Ehh... No. Just the two of us this time."

"That's a date," I said.

"Nooo. How can it be a date if we're not 'going out?' " she said.

"If you go out of the house on Saturday to hang out with him, you are 'going out with him.' You don't have to be his 'girlfriend' to 'go out' with him," I said.

"It's not a date," she said.

Umm... Its a date.

So she's been waiting for the last couple of days for our permission to go on this non-date. We've given her some very solid non-answers so far, but have finally decided to let her go. I know the boy and am acquainted enough with his mom to feel that he's not a complete stranger. We figure if they like each other and have been friendly since the summer, they should be able to spend some time together like she would with a girl friend. Especially if its not a date. But it is. Is it? *sigh* We decided that they have to have a plan in place for what they want to do, and they have to stick to it. Any changes in the plan, and she calls me immediately. The plan should be something like: Meet at predetermined location, walk to first place (ex. coffee shop for cocoa), walk to secondary location (ex. comic book store, movie theater lobby for video games, but NO MOVIE), then you walk back to where we pick you up. He leaves his skateboard at home*** and no loitering.  And in the fine print, it says I can have that GPS chip inserted under her skin first thing after school tomorrow! :)

***NOTE:  We have nothing against skateboarders.  We like them. We even own a skateboard. We just feel its not appropriate on a (non)date in a pedestrian area. :)