Time is a thief -- where's my once-sweet little boy? He's at the gym.

Watching our children go from depending on us for everything to slowly, little by little, needing us less is hard. Very hard. The son that used to rely on me for everything seems to only rely on me now when he needs something that only I can provide, i.e. me calling the school office to release him early from school or signing the sports waivers so he can play on the soccer team with the understanding that there may be a concussion involved.

Something happened last night and it's hitting me hard. My son texted after work and asked if his curfew could be extended. I am a mother of an only child and I'll be the first to admit that I'm scared...scared that every decision I make for him is not going to be the right one.

As expected, after I told him no to the extended curfew, I got pushback. I stuck to my guns though and went back-and-forth, one pleading text after another from him and told him to be home at midnight. Needless to say, that he walked through our front door at 12:49! As my husband and I sat on the couch waiting for him to take off his shoes and hang up his keys he carries around so proudly, I thought to myself 'where did I go wrong here' and ultimately started blaming myself for him deliberately disobeying.

This seems to happen very often. Without fail, 95% of the time my son will ask for an extended curfew and pleads that all of his friends are allowed to stay out later than him. He is a "young 16", which really just means that he has a late birthday -- close to the cutoff date for his grade and is one of the last ones to have turned 16. To put it into prospective, one of his very close friends in his grade is already 17 because he has a December birthday (and a later curfew). Of course his friends may have an extra half hour or so than he does. They are a few months older.

I wouldn't call myself a helicopter parent by any stretch of the imagination. My son is given plenty of freedom. He was handed down my car (and I believe he has since renamed her from her original "Frosty") when he turned 16 and within reason, comes and goes as he pleases. I do, however, believe in rules, curfews and punishments for disobeying.

Back to the story...when asked why he was strolling in at 49 minutes past curfew and deliberately disobeying, I was given the answer of "I gave in to peer pressure". He didn't seem to show much remorse. He said his friends were coercing him to stay out later and so he did. I asked him if at the time he thought of the consequences and repercussions for his actions and was told "Sort of. I knew I'd be spoken to".

THAT"S IT? Spoken to? Basically, what my "A/B student who has a job and has played the same sport since the age of 4 (my way of saying he's a good kid, give or take an email from a teacher every now and then saying he talks too much) was telling us was that he was willing to take the punishment, do his time and move on...aka go fly a kite, Mom & Dad.

He told me that he doesn't like being at home because he thinks all he and I do is argue! Maybe (sarcastic) the reason we always argue is because when he IS home and I ask about his day or ask him anything really, I get a one-word answer as his face stays glued to his phone. Without using quotes, he, in a round-about manner, said he doesn't like me. OUCH! My heart is broken. All I could do is sit there flabbergasted wondering my usual 'where did I go wrong??'

I was so sad and hurt that the child I would walk through fire for just told me that he can't stand to be around me. I didn't let my crushed feelings show, but I very well could have burst into tears. I just stood up and walked upstairs to go to bed.

And now I ask, to anyone who is reading this...do our kids "come back" to us? Is this a phase? I mean I know that when I was 16 being with my friends and not at home with my parents was the optimal choice but I feel like I've lost my son. I hope I'm wrong. #boymom #teenagers #curfew #fortyandfabulous #rubyjubilee

~Melissa