”Oh” I accidentally let out. It sounds more disappointed than I am. I immediately clear my throat. “No I mean- wow honey! That’s.. fun!”

Being a single dad to a teen has turned out to be harder than I thought. You and I have always been close, considering it has been only the two of us your whole life. So it came a bit as a shock when you started to become more distant. I mean, yeah, I totally get it. Your hormones makes you feel a lot of things at once, and having a protective dad who just wants the best for you may not be..the best thing.

You spend a lot of time in your room, or out with friends, and you’ve even told me how embarrassing I am and was, especially from when I was in one direction, which your friends recently discovered. Such a knife to the heart. Although, I know that you probably don’t mean it.

Anyway, today while I was downstairs, cleaning up after dinner, I got a text from you. You were upstairs, but texting is our new way of communicating. You wanted to tell me something. My hopes got high, as I thought that maybe you finally wanted to hang out with me. I made my way to your room, knocked twice, which you’ve asked me to do everytime.

Nothing prepares you for when your kid tells you that they have a boyfriend. Gosh, In my eyes you’re still a little baby, laying on my chest, softly cooing. Even though I don’t want to admit it, I have to understand that you’re growing up.

“Well.. Is he kind to you?” I ask carefully, trying to think a few steps ahead on how to treat this situation.