I’m glad we could sit down and have this talk. I’m worried about you. Life in those teenage years can be rough, and, well, it seems like you’re bottling a lot of things up.

Why do you get that hesitant look whenever you leave the room? What’s going on with all the money hiding; your mother found a 20 stashed under the sole of your shoe. You take such chances, but you tense up when I leave for work or when your mom goes to run an errand. And it seems like half of the time, well geez, kiddo, I can’t even tell who you are, like you don’t even know. I guess we just don’t see why you hang out with the crowd you do, let them push you around how they will.

Look, I’m not saying I have all the answers. I was pretty mixed up too for a lot of years. I just mean, ah heck, I wish I knew what I meant. Sigh.

It gets better. Eventually, you get to ignore people whose opinion you distrust. Money comes with work. You find peace, and yourself, eventually. And that’s when you discover who your true friends are.