That 70's Show

Come see... live in my garage! It's That 70's Show. We have become teen central this week! Yea! I love having the kids all hang at our house! My older boys already have a bomb hang out in the master suite. Complete with a futon, couch, computer, stereo, TV and gaming systems. Somehow that wasn't enough. The friends didn't come. Or my boys didn't invite them. Now in our garage, we have a 70's couch: avocado and gold, 7' long and curved; a cheap throw rug; a boy-made coffee table out of a wood crate and two boards that are being totally covered in bored teen art. Lawn chairs and a worn out bar stool complete the look. It's in the 30's out, and still they hang in the uninsulated, unheated garage. Who needs heat? Who needs a stereo or TV? Not these guys! There's a resistance weight machine, a skateboard and a rip stick in case they get restless. Friday night when I left the house there was an extra kid here. My boys were all gone. He was waiting for a ride, lounging on the couch with a game system in the bedroom. When I returned several hours later, there were 6 kids in my garage. I think they have decided not to be intimidated by me. I think they've decided it's safe to be here.
When my boys were young, our house was the fun house to hang out at. But then the "soon to be ex," decided to start complaining about any extra noise and any extra people in the house. He became suspicious of the kids' friends. I guess that's when we lost the status of "hangout." Kids know when they aren't wanted.
I remember when I was a kid, my friends were all intimidated by what my father did. They never wanted to come to my house. Now that I'm in the "family business," I understand how hard it is to get friends to feel comfortable here. In elementary school none of the kids were afraid of me. In Junior High, they start being intimidated. They didn't want to hang out at the _____'s house and they knew that the boys' dad didn't want them here. I guess they are coming back. I am so glad! I like them!