Testing the limits

"Mum, can I go to Kingston with my mate tomorrow?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because you let us down badly last week and you have to rebuild the trust that we had in you."
"Yeah but I had to weed the quiet area for a whole week for that."
"No, that was for truanting from school, not for letting us down."

He thinks about this for a minute.

"So why can't I go to Kingston then?"

I try again patiently. "Because we don't feel that we can trust you to act responsibly on your own at the moment."

More deep thought. "Well can I go to Chessington World of Adventures with my mate then?"

Oh for goodness sake!

"No."
"Why not?"
"For the same reason."

He thinks about this for a bit longer.

"So can my mate come over here or I go to his house to play base guitar then?"

Now we're getting somewhere. "Yes, if it's okay with his parents.
So you understand that we will be restricting your freedom for a while because of all that has happened?"

"Yes, I don't like it........but I understand."

He's a good lad deep down cos that was exactly what I wanted to hear....