Is that really breaking curfew?

We finally took the teenager off of his punishment this week where he was not allowed to go out during the week. This priviledge was originally taken away because the boy totally abused his curfew times. If we said be home at 9:00, he'd call and have some excuse why he could not get there in time and would be home at 9:30, but then something else would come up and he'd actually be home at 10:00. It happened EVERY TIME he left the house. Then there was the whole getting from here to there fiasco's. He'd tell me that he had transportation taken care of and then things would change and he would expect ME to drop everything to drive him - and would have the nerve to get indignant when I could not!

So anyway, after almost two months, the punishment was lifted. He met some goals that we had asked of him and proved that he did, indeed, have a brain and so he was rewarded. On the FIRST NIGHT that we let the boy out we had a problem. He was told - in no uncertain terms - that he was to be home at 10:00. If he came home at 10:05, he would be back on punishment. So at 9:55 that night, I am watching the clock but not wanting to automatically think the worst. Well, 10:00 rolled around, then 10:05, 10:10 and finally at around 10:15 he comes strolling in the door.

"It's not my fault!" he says. Aren't those the first words usually spoken by someone who is guilty? I mean, seriously. It turns out that his friend was driving him home and they got pulled over by the cops for having no rear break lights or something. What are the odds of this happening on his first night out in two months? No on has that bad of luck! So when I am about to point this out, he says "I have pictures!" he took pictures on his cell phone to prove the point.

I would so make a good lawyer because all I am thinking is A.) That cell phone picture doesn't have the time on it so that I can know EXACTLY when that picture was taken and B.) who's to say that this cop was pulling THEM over and they just didn't get a shot of someone else getting pulled over and C.) maybe if they had left where they were ON TIME they would not have gotten pulled over at all! I've created all kinds of reasonable doubt but for who's benefit? I don't even know! All I do know is that this boy has made me so crazy in the last year that I have no idea if I am trying to defend his stupidity and bad luck or convict him so that I can punish him again!!

Man, do I need some clarity in my brain! Technically he broke curfew but it wasn't really his fault as far as we can tell. So, we did not punish him again. But boy-oh-boy am I watching him!