Playing dangerously

One of the challenges over the last four years has been that my business requires me to network outside of working hours. It's probably no coincidence that it's been harder to make the company successful since the boy came to live with me (in non-politically correct language, that means business has been a disaster). Family friends were helpful initially, but I would always go out with a heavy conscience so did it less and less as time went on. And when we moved to a completely new area eighteen months ago, my evenings were spent relentlessly at home. When I did go out, I always used to joke that I'd left him playing in the middle of the road with sharp knives and matches...it always amused me, but often left the person I said it to with a bemused or concerned look on their face. Now that he's that much older, seems pretty mature for his age I have in recent months taken to doing the occasional early evening event, leaving the boy to come home and cook himself baked beans on toast. No problems really, until last week.....I arrived home at about 9.00 after a business debate to find the house smelling of burning. Why? "Well Dad I wanted my English homework to look old, so burnt it round the edges by holding a match to it." Mmmmm may be a rethink needed.

Starting out

Four years ago with the sudden death of my former wife, I took on the responsibility of bringing up our son. Overnight I went from being a man about town to being a single parent. I had always been very close to the boy...indeed the major element of a divorce that had cost in the order of £80,000 in solicitors fees had been my insistence of seeing him as much as possible as often as possible. So the starting point was a good one - a strong relationship. Whilst any sudden change in life can be challenging, this has been a brilliantly enjoyable and rewarding time...