I Almost Strangled My Teenager!

By Towanda Mckie

The Randolph family is focused on raising their two children, Aden and Kimberly with Christian values. This family finds themselves facing one challenge after the other as their teenage son, Aden rebels in every way imaginable and Kristin’s dad suffers a tragic accident. Aden skips class, steals, lies and walks a thin line to being a criminal. The Randolph’s fight back with prayer, sticking to their boundaries and tough love as they try to direct Aden back to the respectful son that he used to be. Kristin feels like she’s drowning and Alex Randolph takes on more responsibility to hold his family together. This isn’t an easy task because a secret lies in this family that threatens to tear them apart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Towanda Mckie
• Release date: Aug 23, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310505249

Towanda Mckie

Towanda Mckie is a native of Baltimore, Maryland but currently resides in York, Pennsylvania. She is a certified teacher, literacy advocate, and writer. Towanda's goal is to not only bring attention to the illiteracy rate across the globe but to advocate for literacy services for those who have fallen behind. Towanda and her family promotes reading by writing stories that are interesting and funny, they also promote events that celebrate reading and show the importance of literacy at home, and they do book reviews with the hope that someone is inspired to visit the library or bookstore for books to read. Towanda loves to write, laugh, and spend time with her family which includes her husband, Andrew and their two children, Tyler and Kayla. Kayla Mckie is in eighth grade and also writes with her mom. They have written one book together, Addy Goes to Grandma's House and are working on their next children's book with plans for the release in February 2015. Towanda and Kayla are both working on individual projects. Please follow them on Facebook,Twitter and YouTube as Mckie Works. You can also contact them through their website @ http://www.mckieworks.com/Contact-Us.html.

Book preview

Chapter 1

My name is Kristin Randolph and today is my prodigal- I mean my son Aden’s graduation. I love that boy, but the ugly truth is - he's given me and his dad gray hairs. My husband and I expected our boy to go through phases as a teenager so we’d been reading books to prepare. The quiet phase- honey when was the last time you heard Aden speak? Last week, I think my husband replies. The moody phase- Aden it’s time for dinner. Why is everyone ordering me around! he replies. The girls phase- Aden it’s time to get off the phone with … but mom it’s only been three hours. The ‘I forgot’ phase- Aden did you take out the trash? I forgot. Aden did you mow the lawn? I forgot. Yup, Alex and I were ready for all those things but a prodigal- oh that took us by complete surprise. We made it through it though.

We arrived at the graduation about thirty minutes early so that Aden could join his classmates for their march and we could find good seating and parking. By we, I mean my husband, Alex, and Aden’s nosey little sister, Kimberly. Well, other people thought to arrive early and even took initiative to get there sooner. So Aden was on time but we had to hike from our parking spot and then climb into the nose bleed seats of the bleachers to sit down. It was all worth it though as we watched what looked like little ants enter the stadium. We could not believe that this day was here. Alex and I have been waiting for a long time to witness this moment. We watched as students took their places two by two on the field and started the march toward their seats. The little ants in their blue cap and gown looked beautiful down there. We were proud of all of them but only strained our eyes to see Aden. When we couldn't make him out among the kids on the field, we looked over to the main building and saw that they were still coming out and waiting for their turn to walk onto the field before marching to their seats. Every now and then I would scream, There he is! with excitement, only to find it wasn't him as the young man got closer. Four hundred-sixty-six high school seniors walked onto the field and took their seats. Aden was number four- hundred and sixty-six, but it felt great to see our son in his moment. He walked with a proud stride but did not look up at all. The excitement filled me, and I began to wave and scream his name, but he still did not look up. Alex and Kimberly waved and screamed too but still no response from him. Is he ignoring us? I thought. Why, of all the nerve! I immediately reached for the closest thing to throw at him, which happened to be my shoe. But Alex stopped me mid-wind- up and said that we were too far up and the school band was playing. It would take a miracle for him to see and hear us.

But he wasn't even looking for us.

Relax, honey he said calmly. Besides, you throw like a girl, and there's no way you could hit him from this distance."

Then you throw it. I joked.

Yeah dad, I bet you could hit him from here, Kimberly added.

You, too? Alex mused, before we all burst out laughing.

We watched as Aden took his seat, and the ceremony continued. There were a few speeches, but they all seemed to run together for me. My mind was beginning to wander to days when I didn’t trust that God would see him to this day. Now, the expectation was that our children would graduate high school and attend college to the master’s program or above. But Aden’s high school journey had so many complications that we weren't sure he would even graduate and his plans for after graduation was still a question mark. I was thrilled to be sitting in those seats watching Aden but I also could not deny the tension mounting inside of me because I knew that graduating meant time was running out for Aden to be under our care. We needed him to commit to a plan for his future. This was the moment that marked the beginning of another part of our son’s journey.

I was shocked back to reality as I heard Aden Randolph, and my husband and daughter sprang to their feet cheering. I applauded too but was shocked when girls from different parts of the stands cheered him on also. My head spun this way and that as I examined each of them with my mommy sense and disapproved of their overly done makeup and lack of clothing. "Oh, no!" I thought. I made sure to make eye contact with each so they would know my face. Hopefully, if they saw me with Aden later, they would know the crazy lady in the stands was his mom.

Alex saw the same thing I did when the girls cheered for him and nodded in approval of my actions. As the ceremony went on, each graduate’s name was called, and each family screamed as they heard their loved one’s name. Wow. Aden Randolph is a high school graduate.

When the ceremony ended, we made our way through the crowd to congratulate our son and to take pictures. We found him in the midst of a few guys from his graduating class with not a female around. As he interacted with them, his voice became deeper, and his whole personality changed. Aden was excited, smiling, and obviously cheerful around his friends. Who is this person? I would like to have met this young man who appeared in front of his friends, because the Aden that lives at my house is quiet and moody. You need a crowbar to get three words out of him and as for smiling - I haven't seen that in almost four years. Through Aden’s high school years, I have known for years now that he was one way at home but a different person outside our doors, and now he was not hiding it. My husband broke into their little group first, with me and Kimberly hot behind him. The camera was produced, and the snapshots began. The girls from the stands arrived shortly after we started taking pictures, and without saying anything, Alex and I switched positions so that he could take a picture of Aden and I together. I gave them a great big smile as I hugged Aden and stared them down. They turned with an audible sigh and went in another direction. After the picture, Aden put two and two together. Really, Mom? he protested. With an innocent look, I asked whatever was he talking about? Besides, you have a girlfriend. He turned from me as Kimberly demanded some attention. Alex walked over to me, and we slapped five while smiling at each other.

Mission accomplished!

Our next stop after the graduation was dinner. Aden was allowed to choose the restaurant that we would go to, without limit to the location or cost. He chose a restaurant that he knew was also where some of his friends would be.

This was not only a graduation celebration dinner for me, but also an opportunity for me to show Aden that he is loved and supported by us. We ended up at a steak house, and Aden gravitated toward the same friends from graduation while waiting to be served. Although we arrived separately, the graduates sat at their own table, while the parents sat at tables close by. My family sat at a table that was right next to the graduates table and in the middle of the parent’s tables. Perfect positioning for my mommy power of super hearing to work, I thought.

Alex called this "power" nosiness, but that didn't stop him from asking what I found out. I listened to the parents talk about the freedoms that their children have enjoyed throughout the years, and as we watched and listened to the people Aden interacted with, we quickly realized that some of these kids were living a fast life through high school with little parental supervision. However; they talked about going to college, trade schools or the military. They had some kind of plan for their lives, but what about our son’s future? Aden added nothing when it came to that part of the conversation. Inside, my anxiety meter was off the charts and I wasn’t sure if it’s because I felt that Aden’s pain kept him stuck or I felt like I had failed Aden somehow.

In my prayer that night, I thanked God for being able to witness Aden’s high school graduation - the opportunity to see a little more into our son’s life and for things I really still believed were in his future. I prayed that Aden would see the necessity of furthering his education and that he would remember whose son he really is. I prayed that Aden would trust God with his pain and guilt from his past. I prayed that God would teach me how to be patient and accepting of Aden’s journey.

Chapter 2

Another big celebration awaited my family.

I was moving up the career ladder. After teaching for many years, I was offered and accepted an Assistant Principal position in the same school district where I taught second grade. There's no doubt in my heart that this promotion and even the party was part of God’s plan for my life. The promotion was God, because He's the one that led me to teach. The party was God, because Alex never, ever, ever showed the slightest interest in party planning. He