You need to have the talk, and you need to have it before they go, my wife, Mary, implored. Wed recently moved west and our two sons, 14 and 12, were due to fly back to their hometown for a visit. Once there, theyd spend a month with their childhood friends, by far the longest theyd ever gone without our heli-parenting. The older boy had hit puberty, adding a foot in height and amusing us with voice breaks.
)
