That effing ice cream cone sign. I hate it!

Pfft.
You want to give them freedom but give an inch and they'll kick you in the nuts.
Story setup number one

Sterling has a job.  He works 12-5ish, Friday thru Tuesday.  When he gets off work, he tells me that he is at his friend, Tony's house.  I ask that he call me at 9 to check in.  I ask him to tell me when he's coming home. Sometimes he tells me that he wants to stay the night or have someone stay over here.
My days off are Sunday and Monday.  What I'  m telling you is I never see him and we talk once a day.
On his days off, he'll call my mother to drive him to Vancouver to visit friends or his mother.  This has happened three weekends in a row.
I do not care that he has gone over there three weeks in a row.  I just want to be made aware of the fact.

Story setup number two
Sterling is supposed to call me at 9 sharp every night.  I told him that I would take his phone away from him if he didn't call.  He didn't like this.  I asked which he would prefer...pay me $20 or have his phone taken away for 48 hours.  He chose to give me $20 each time he didn't call.  (he's already paid me $60)

Story setup number three
The place he works at is a candy shop.  He scoops ice cream, makes coffees and pours sodas and sells candy.  Sterling noticed the ugly sign in the front of the candy store and asked if he could take it down and paint it.  The owner was impressed.  Here's this kid, first job, knows about making the exterior of the building look good.  Sterling comes home with this two foot by four foot sign.  Made of wood.  Chipped paint all over.  In the middle of the sign is an ice cream cone.  One scoop is pink and one scoop is white.  The first day he got out a sander and sanded the edges of the sign.  Next day he painted.  The next three weeks the fucking sign sat in my front yard.
Two nights ago I told him to take the fucking sign back to the shop.  IT'S NOT DOING THEM A BIT OF GOOD IF IT'S NOT UP AT THE SHOP.  BETTER A BEAT UP SIGN THAN NO SIGN.  Sterling said he'd take it to his work the following morning.
When I got home what did I see...that damn sign.  I immediately ran to the phone and called his soon to be sorry ass.  When he picked up he announced to me that he was in Hillsboro heading to his mothers house in Vancouver.
"What happened with the sign", I asked
"I couldn't get it there  I want you to help me get it in your car and take it down there" he replied.
(we live 7 minutes away)
Sign still in my front yard.  Child headed to his mothers.  He didn't inform me.  No note no text...nothing. Wouldn't have informed me had I not called him.  He would have not called me at 9 either as he would be with his mother or friends and completely forgotten.

I was pissed.  I called him again.  I called to let him know that I was going to rope him in.  I called to let him know that he was taking that sign to the shop on Friday.  I then went outside, grabbed the sign and put it on his bed.  I don't ever want to see that effing sign again.

Today is Thursday.  The sign will be there when I get home on Friday.  Moral of the story...I want Sterling to be a responsible adult.  He wants to be a teenager.

Side note...there was a machete in my garage.