Late responding to some of this, but... crazy about the Cabo incident! We always felt that was one of the safest places we went in Mexico, but it has been a year or so since we've been. So glad people stepped in to help.
Sleeping in someone else's bed without permission is not OK!
DD's school offers a limited selection of classes in an intensive spring and/or summer mini session format, both half the length of a normal semester. DD is staying for spring, but will be home for summer, well part of it anyway. She'll need to be back early in the fall for track, and she's volunteering at a leadership camp the weekend before school starts. so we won't have her for long. That may not be all bad though.
Speaking of volunteering, I'm all for it, but I'm finding the expectations on these kids can be a bit much.
DD's camp is only 1 weekend, so that one isn't a big deal at all, I'm really glad she's doing it.
But DS is spending a month in South America this summer as an unpaid trip leader for a youth mission group. Granted I'm sure it will be a great experience, he will be doing something good, his travel is free, and it will look good on a resume, but I don't think some small compensation would be out of line since it's not only more than full time hours for a full month, but all the time for training and planning before the trip too. It doesn't help that he has to give up pretty much all his summer hours at his part time job to do it.
Worse than that though, I was talking to a cute young sales gal at Nordstrom yesterday. She'll be graduating with a degree in fashion merchandising and all she's been able to find so far are unpaid internships. I think those can be great learning experiences when done as part of a degree program, but tough to make them work after graduation. She said the best internships basically want commitment of full time job hours plus. She said she can't figure out a way to make any of the internships she's been offered work and still make enough to pay her rent, even if Nordstrom is willing to work with her on having such limited availability for part time work. How do they expect these kids to live?
Anyway, a bit off topic, but something I've been seeing with my college age kids and others.