I’m 40, my daughter Jordan is 13, and she’s had the same best friend, Alyssa, for years. Jordan started asking for more sleepovers, which became routine. Last Tuesday, I invited Alyssa’s mom, Tessa, to my birthday and thanked her for hosting Jordan—then Tessa texted:
“Jordan hasn’t been here in weeks.”
Panicked, I called Jordan. She admitted she’d been secretly staying with her dad’s mom, who had moved nearby and was sick. She wanted to know her grandmother before it was too late, sometimes pretending she was at Alyssa’s.
We set rules: no more secrets, visits only with our knowledge. Jordan can finally see her grandmother honestly, and we’re all learning to balance trust, love, and boundaries.