On the drive home from poker night, my son told me some of the guys had been drinking.
He was in ninth grade.
I tried really hard not to react.
I’m so glad he told me.
But they’re fourteen.
They’re DRINKING?!
I can’t just ignore this.
What if something happens next time? I’d never forgive myself.
So I called one of the moms I felt closest to.
If a few of us worked together, maybe we could make the next poker night safer for all the boys.
When I hung up, I felt so much better.
Okay. I did something.
A few days later, he walked in the door furious.
“You told Mrs. Bennett?!”
Wait. What?
“I can’t believe you did that. I trusted you.”
The boys found out he told me.
They were pissed. No more poker nights for him.
“Now everyone hates me.”
He stormed upstairs and slammed his door.
And I just stood there.
For weeks, he barely talked to me.
I’d ask a question and get one word. Yes. No. Fine.
I was trying to protect him.
I was trying to protect all of them.
And now he’s lost his friends.
What if he never tells me anything again?
What if the next time something happens... he decides it’s safer to keep it to himself?
Oh my God. What have I done?
I’d heard something scary about my kid.
At the time, it felt like the right thing to do.
Of course I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
🧡 Jeanine
Have you ever had a “What have I done?” moment with your teenager? You can tell me in the comments below.
