Dear Single,

Your son is not respecting you and I think that fixing this should be your first order of business. Because if he doesn’t respect you, he is not going to respect women in general and he’s going to grow up to be everybody’s problem.

So how about I tell you a few things and then you can tell him? Things about life, this is.

Ten year olds do not run the show. Mothers are people. They are human beings and they want company… they need company besides their kids.

And I don’t care how this makes the kid feel. The kid does not own the parent any more than the parent owns the kid. The parent is responsible for the kid. But this does not mean the parent does not get to kiss someone when she wants to kiss someone, provided the kid has been fed, clothed and reasonably entertained.

Now I really think you can resolve this. You don’t have a wimpy chart! I imagine you’re just tired. The fact is single parenting is incredibly draining and no one who knows anything about it can blame you for wanting to take the path of least resistance. But this is one of those situations you simply must correct. So that’s what I’d do.

Decide there is going to be a new deal in your house, introduce it to your kid and then enforce it. And the new deal is this:

Mom is a human being with rights who does not take orders from ten year olds. You can take away privileges if your son groans when you kiss your boyfriend goodbye, you know. Ask your son if he wants to hear you groan when he grows up and wants to kiss someone. Mutual respect, see? That’s what you want to shoot for.

Good luck.

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