Uncharted waters

I just dropped off my teenage son at a girl's house, 25 minutes away, that I've never met.

I dropped him off with two boys I met (when they showed up at my house just in time for dinner) just two hours before. I think their names were Jordan and Dallin. Or was it Damon? David?

Anyway...

Friends he met at EFY. To go to a party at a girls house he met at EFY.

I got out to meet the girl's parents and he was like, "Ummm, mom why are you turning off the car? I don't know how to break this to you, but you weren't invited."

I told him I wanted to meet the parents.

I turned to the other boys (both a year older) and said, "Right? I should meet the parents?"

To which they shrugged kinda wide-eyed.

That was my cue.

The girl who lived there came out, I met her.

Maddie, with a cute smile and perfectly straight teeth (a definite sign of good parents.)

I waved goodbye and drove off.

And, I thought, "What am I doing? I just dropped my son off in an unknown neighborhood in a different city with two boys I may or may not know the names of, to the house of a girl named Maddie. Where, he will be brought home by the father of one of the boys, again unknown, at an unclear time."

I called Lee.

"Should I go back?  Is that normal at almost 15 years old?"

What did I know, the town I lived in at that age was so small, your parents didn't have to ever meet the parents of new friends, they just asked their last name and knew exactly who they were, where they lived and how they were related to you.

Lee assured me it was fine. He has his phone.

I worried for the next hour and a half, until i got the text-

"Lame party, Jordan's dad is picking us early, be home soon."

So, let me get this straight.

I went from me picking his friends, based on what mom's I was friends with, to

him picking his friends, bringing home their phone # scribbled on a torn piece of homework and me then calling the mom on the phone to arrange a park playdate to meet.

To him picking his friends with the unspoken rule that the first mom to go to the other's house would walk them to the door and introduce themselves,

to groups of friends (apparently they travel in pairs now), new ones every week (sometimes everyday), no need to meet the parents because you may never see the kid again??

Uncharted waters that I'm not quite sure how to navigate through yet...

The good 'ol days...circa 2005.