It has been a little over a week since I solemnly promised myself to not care about my SS15's education. Even though I am university educated, run my own successful business, and manage another's finances... My struggling to get a "C" SS told me that he knew perfectly well how to study for his exams and would be doing it his way thank you very much. (well, actually, he wasn't quite so articulate but you get my point...)

After the first seven seconds of stunned silence on my part, a lightning bolt of realization hit me.

"Let him!"

It sounds so simple, yet in the last seven years that has never once occurred to me when I have faced backlash from either of my stepchildren. "Let them." Whatever it is that they think they know better, just let them.

Such a liberating idea! And so I did. I just let him. I walked away and left it alone. And every time my thoughts would turn to mentioning something useful he could do, pointing out that he hadn't done any studying yet, even talking to his dad about it... I just gave myself a little pinch and found something to do.

I didn't ask if he followed through on previous promises to us, I didn't inquire as to how his exams went, I didn't discuss what he thinks he could do better in the future… I THOUGHT all of these things, but I didn't voice them. Turns out, when you're not voicing your thoughts, you're remarkably quiet!

I worked through the withdrawal from my "I know better" addiction with only a few shakes and no sweats to speak of... Took a week, and it is still hard... But I'm feeling clean and sober