Did I make Him Walk? (conclusion)

Sorry for the delay. I know you have been waiting for me to finish the story from my previous blog.
Just to summarize. I was upset with son Danny calling and asking me to drive back downtown because 10 minutes earlier when I was downtown he told me he didn’t need a ride. It is not the first time Danny, 13, has done this.
“Walk?,” Danny said.
“Yes Danny walk. I’m just sitting down to eat.” I replied.
My wife who was not aware of the entire situation overheard my end of the conversation and offered to go get him. That made me feel guilty because after cleaning, shopping, cooking, driving these kids to school every morning and driving them around on the weekends, she was willing to help more. I was afraid that if I didn’t get Danny, she might. My intent was to teach Danny a lesson, not to give her more to do. Another layer to parenting is getting both parents on the same page before you deal with the child. I should have hung up and explained the situation to her. As usual, I compromised. My older son would call it giving in again to the child I favor.
“Dan. I have to go back out in about half an hour or so. I can pick you up then. If you want to get home sooner, you’ll have to walk.”
Danny said he would wait.
A minute later the phone rang. My wife answered. It was Danny. I was hoping he had decided to walk.
“Danny asked if you could give his friend a ride home,” she said.

My wife and I had a conference with Danny’s teachers this week. They had lots of nice things to say about his work and conduct, adding that they wish he would stay in their class and not move on to Lyman Hall next year. They tell me he has a great sense of humor and they will miss his funny stories about his life, including his family. I think I know where he gets some of his material.