My daughter is 14 and has a boyfriend who’s also 14. He’s nice, respectful, and the kind of boy any parent would be glad to meet.
Every Sunday, he comes over, and they spend hours in her room with the door closed. I trust her, but I can’t help feeling a bit curious. One Sunday, my curiosity got the best of me.
“What if…” I wondered, as all sorts of bad thoughts ran through my head. Before I could stop myself, I walked quickly down the hallway and opened her door.
The room was dim, with soft music playing. My heart was racing — until I froze.
She was sitting on the floor with her notebook, explaining math problems with more focus than I’d ever seen her have on her own homework. Her boyfriend sat beside her, concentrating hard, pencil in hand.
Textbooks, highlighters, and sticky notes were scattered everywhere — it looked like a war zone of algebra and geometry.
I blinked and noticed the plate of cookies I’d brought earlier was still untouched.
My daughter looked up in surprise, pulling off her headphones. “Mom? Is something wrong?”
I tried to speak, but nothing came out — just a wave of guilt for thinking the worst.
“I… uh… yeah,” I said awkwardly. “I just wanted to see if you two wanted more cookies.”
They looked at each other, a little confused, then smiled. “We’re fine, thanks!” she said, turning back to help him with another math problem.
I quietly closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a small laugh — part relief, part embarrassment.
From inside, I heard her voice again — calm, patient, and kind.
And that’s when I realized I didn’t need to worry so much. Sometimes, what seems suspicious is really just two teenagers learning — not just math, but kindness and patience too.