Is he my son or just the new employee?

Greg started working at the aquarium yesterday. He is starting a new job titled Marketing and Production. It was weird thinking that my son was starting his first day on his first real job at the same place I work. How do I keep from crossing the line of mom? I offered some suggestions to him that he clearly was rolling his eyes at. But then I thought I didn't say anything different than I would to any new employee.

Since most everyone I work with is under 30, I call them the "kids". I had taken home 3 new aquarium t-shirts (they provide)for Greg to wear. The kids told me I had crossed the line and that was a "mom" thing to do. I told the kids to keep me informed when I cross the line into mom-land. They promised to do so. And they will do it with glee.

We went to lunch together both yesterday and today. Remember how strange it is your first day anywhere? When and where do you go to lunch? That strange feeling of the lunchroom at school, carrying your tray and thinking where am I going to sit? Will someone be nice and invite me? Do I have to eat alone? Of course, I paid for both lunches. I told him I was glad to pay, but when we went out with the other employees they would start giving both of us grief if I continued to pay for his during group lunches. We all tease and rag on each other and they would really go after both of us.

I'm always cheerful about helping anyone at work. Well, I really screwed myself last night. The aquarium has a big Halloween production called Hallomarine. I noticed a few employees waiting in the office after work. I sat down to talk and they were complaining no one signed up to help. Well, dummy me, said "I'm not busy. I'll help you". They had rented a big truck to load and transport the walls to the Haunted House. We moved 25 huge walls, plus assorted and sundry other decorations. At 8:00 pm my t-shirt was drenched in sweat and I had three cuts on my legs when we finished. The whole time I was helping I was mad at myself for being the Good Samaritan. Plus I missed out on a drama going on in our sting-ray tank. 5 fishes died over the day. It was a big mystery as to what killed them. We were worried they were poisoned with pesticides. I could have been there watching all the drama as they necropsied the fish and did a huge water change. I could have learned something instead of schlepping huge walls!