“A few days ago, I drove 40 minutes to pick him up from a school event, and he made me wait a block away. When he saw me, there were other kids around, and he turned red and waited for them to pass before getting in the car, sliding down, and saying, ‘Drive.’ I’ve told him how all this makes us feel, but he doesn’t care. Well, I’ve had enough.
“That night, he needed a new t-shirt for an event, so while driving to the store, I said, ‘Duck!’ and pushed his head down. I told him I thought a friend from college was driving by, and I didn’t want to be seen with him. When he asked why, I said I was embarrassed. At the store, I hurried to the entrance, asking him to stay a few feet back in case I ran into someone I knew. He knew what I was doing. I asked him how it felt to be treated like an embarrassment, and he said, ‘Not good.’
“The next morning, we went to the transit office to get a bus pass for him. I told him I no longer wanted to be seen in a car with him and that he would have to take the bus from now on. I expressed aloud my regret about going into the office with him and how I was more concerned about the clerk’s perception of me than how I made him feel. I then asked him to stand by the door and not speak. I think he’s getting the point, but I’m still not sure.
“I told my sister about this, and she was furious. She thinks I should understand this is a phase he will outgrow. But I feel like I’ve given him almost two years, and this phase has become a well-ingrained habit that I’m tired of. What do you think?”