A Date

Christopher

I was a nervous wreck. I kept telling myself he was old enough to make his own decisions. He’d been raised right. I had to trust Carlie’s parenting skills. She’d done a great job with him and it was my turn to take it home. I couldn’t let her down. I had to show her I could take care of him.

I had gone back and forth, trying to decide if I should rescind my approval. I couldn’t. He was sixteen. I had to let him spread his wings. If I didn’t give him the okay to do it, he would do it anyway and it would likely end up going very bad for him. This was that part of parenting that sucked. I had to let him grow up.

He came downstairs, tugging on the shirt we had picked up at a mall yesterday. “You look nice,” I said.

“Thanks.”

“You know the rules, right?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dad.”

“I’m serious. If you’re sloppy drunk, don’t be afraid to call. If you see something that isn’t right, call. I promise, I will be there as fast as humanly possible. No judgment. I swear to you, on