My twelve-year-old son, bless his heart, isn’t usually one to cause trouble. He’s a pretty good kid, gets decent grades, and generally listens to what I tell him, at least most of the time. So, when he came to me that morning, looking pale and clutching his stomach, I didn’t immediately suspect anything. He insisted he felt terrible, a horrible ache that wouldn’t go away, and begged me to let him stay home from school. Now, I’m not a monster; I remember being a kid and desperately wanting a day off every now and then. So, I relented. I told him to stay in bed, rest, and try to get some sleep, and I’d check on him later. Little did I know that this seemingly innocent act of parental kindness would lead me down a rabbit hole of worry and fear that I’m still trying to climb out of. Honestly, if I knew what I was about to discover, I would have **dragged him to school myself**! [ “I FEEL SICK JUST THINKING ABOUT IT” ].
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Everything seemed normal enough as I went about my day, getting ready for work and handling the usual morning chaos. But as the hours ticked by, a nagging feeling started to creep into my mind. Something just didn’t sit right. It wasn’t that my son was acting particularly suspicious, but there was a subtle off-ness that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it was the way he avoided eye contact, or perhaps it was the slightly too-eager agreement when I suggested he stay in bed all day. Whatever it was, the feeling intensified as noon approached, and I knew I had to do something to ease my growing unease. **I decided to check on him**.
He seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough when I peeked into his room, but I still couldn’t shake off this lingering worry. That’s when I saw it – his tablet, lying on the floor near his bed. Now, I know snooping isn’t the best parenting practice, but in that moment, I felt like I had to know if something was going on. I picked it up, fully prepared to find nothing of consequence, maybe just some silly games or YouTube videos. But what I found instead sent a **wave of icy dread** crashing over me.
The first thing I saw was his search history. My heart skipped a beat. The first search query was, innocently enough, “stomach ache remedies.” Okay, normal. But then… “how to fake being sick.” [ “MY STOMACH DROPPED” ]. My blood ran cold. Why would he search that? Was he not really sick? Was he trying to deceive me? I continued to scroll, each search query more alarming than the last. “how to erase texts” popped up next. What texts was he trying to hide? Who was he talking to? My mind started racing, imagining all sorts of scenarios, none of them good. But the final search query… that was the one that truly terrified me: “what if my friend dies from a dare.”
[ “I FROZE IN PLACE” ]. The words seemed to burn into my retinas, each syllable a searing brand on my soul. A dare? What kind of dare could lead to death? My mind conjured up images of reckless behavior, dangerous stunts, and unimaginable tragedy. [ “I HAD TO FIND MY SON, NOW” ]. I slammed the tablet down on the bedside table and raced out of the room, my heart pounding in my chest. I had to find him. I had to know what was going on. I had to protect him from whatever danger he was facing.
I burst into his room, my voice trembling as I called his name. He startled awake, his eyes wide with confusion and a hint of fear. I couldn’t bring myself to accuse him directly, not yet. Instead, I asked him gently if everything was okay, if he was feeling any better. He mumbled something about his stomach still hurting, but I could see the lie flicker in his eyes. [ “I KNEW I HAD TO CONFRONT HIM” ].
Taking a deep breath, I sat down on the edge of his bed and told him that I had seen his search history on the tablet. His face went white. I asked him to tell me the truth, to tell me everything. After a few moments of tense silence, he finally confessed. He and his friends had been dared to do something incredibly dangerous, something that could have had devastating consequences. As he spoke, I felt a mixture of relief, anger, and overwhelming fear. Relief that I had discovered the truth before it was too late, anger that he would put himself in such a risky situation, and fear for what could have happened. [ “I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO SCARED IN MY LIFE” ].
