Parenting doesn’t end when your child becomes an adult—if anything, the challenges evolve. Just when I thought the difficult teenage years were behind me, my 22-year-old son Michael blindsided me with a demand I never expected. Michael had always been responsible, working part-time and saving for his goals, but one afternoon, everything shifted

I was in the kitchen making lunch when Michael stormed in with a frustrated expression. His face was tense as he said, “Mom, we need to talk.”

Immediately, I could sense that something serious was on his mind. I turned to him, trying to stay calm, “Sure, what’s on your mind?”

“I need a car,” he stated flatly.

I was caught off guard. Michael had been saving up for a car through his part-time job, and I thought he was content with the progress he was making. But that afternoon, he revealed his growing impatience. He explained that he was tired of waiting, tired of relying on public transportation, and especially tired of asking me for rides. In his eyes, all his friends had cars, and he was the only one without the freedom that comes with having your own vehicle.

I understood his frustration, but buying a car wasn’t a simple or affordable solution for us. I tried reasoning with him, explaining the costs and the importance of saving responsibly. But Michael wasn’t hearing it. His frustration boiled over, and then he said something that hit me hard: “Maybe I’ll just go live with Dad. He’ll buy me a car.”

My heart sank. My ex-husband, David, had always tried to win Michael’s affection with material gifts, and I couldn’t believe that Michael was using this against me. I tried to keep calm, telling him that threatening to leave wasn’t how adults handled things. But our conversation ended in silence, leaving a cloud of tension hanging between us.