I'm late, I'm late for a very important Date....the pitfalls of being a mother of teenagers

Like many mothers of teenagers I often feel like I'm meeting myself coming back.Just as the White rabbit in Alice in Wonderland flies around, pocket watch in hand,checking the time. I with my rather more modern version,seem to spend my life reacting to various beeps and alarms from my mobile phone. Beep, six thirty , time to get up, beep, beep, seven forty , time to leave the house , and so it goes on.

As they've got older it's become worse. Gone are the days of nursery where they had no option but to sit in their High chairs and wait to be picked up. Nowadays, asking to be picked up at Harry's house at 5.00pm ,will probably turn into being collected from The Leisure centre at 7.00pm, all in the space of half an hour between you dropping them off and returning home for a quick cuppa before you set off again to pick up another child.

Living in the country doesn't help either. A cancelled train can mean that a simple trip to the nearby town can turn into a day's excursion or even an overnight stay.

Two nights ago a bus driver turned my daughter off a bus as it had too many passengers.In the dark in the middle of the Lake District  is not a comfortable place to be for a thirteen year old. Luckily a combination of good life skills, common sense and considering all eventualities in advance meant that she was able to get herself to a friend's house until the troops (alias mum) could be called.

Another day my son had a two hour wait at the station when his train was cancelled. He considered his options. First he looked up the bus time table- the last bus had gone at 5.30pm (perhaps the powers that be think we country bumpkins hibernate after 6,00pm) or he could phone a friend. Unfortunately the latter was out so he sat and waited, and waited, and waited.....

Then there is getting to work in the morning. My son's new apprenticeship is a great success.Unfortunately there are no buses and he isn't old enough to drive yet.But the county council for whom he works have a great scheme where you can claim travel expenses. I was delighted. You see, it's my petrol which is used to get him to work and back each day. We hit a snag- he can only claim if he is driving the car-which seems strange considering it's illegal in the UK before you are 17.

We found a loop hole- he can apply for a free moped from Inspira to get to work.Considering winter is nearly upon us, the road is unlit, floods regularly, and is not a priority for gritting and has had two bike fatalities this week alone that is not a solution I plan to embrace.

And so it would seem that for the next few months at least I am destined to be a taxi driver and sit around in dark car parks reading books as I haven't time to go home before it's time to pick up again.

They tell me the next stage when my son is driving is even more wearing on the nerves- we shall have to wait and see,,,

He can wish,,,,,