""When you're a mom on the other side of 40," ""with a daughter only six months away from college," ""sometimes, you just can't help but wonder..." ""Like, what if I'd taken that internship" ""with the ad agency?" ""But then I realize," ""being a mother is not all that different" ""from the corporate world." ""You start out unsure, feeling your way," ""juggling all those little details that nobody really notices."" "I'm hungry!" "When are we gonna get there?" "Hi, this is Carly Ashby." "I need to make an appointment for my daughter, Sadie?" ""..." "A more challenging position," ""where you learn to tell the difference between a real problem... "" "Moron!" "No, no, not you." ""... and whining..."" "I have to go to the bathroom." "Honey, we'll be home soon." ""All the while," ""still making sure everything gets done." ""One day, you reach a point" ""where your insight and experience are appreciated," ""and before you know it," ""you're more than just a worker, you're a partner."" "You'll never guess." "David Sarlo asked me to the dance!" "He's so cute!" "At first, I thought he liked Avery, but then Jenna told Sophie that he liked me..." ""Where you share the kind of mutual respect" ""that can only be nurtured over the years by listening." "But that's where the similarities end."" ""Because unlike a corporate job," ""you never retire from being a mother." ""After all the scraped knees, and messy room," ""grocery and dentist bills," ""the girl scout and PTA Meetings," ""piano lessons, the school plays," ""concerts, and sports practices," ""not to mention the driving lessons," ""it was spring of her senior year," ""and she suddenly..." ""grew up." ""Even when your children grow up," ""they'll always need you" ""and want to share things with you." ""At least, you hope they do." ""Because if they don't..." ""well, that just might turn out to be the hardest part of the job."" "Happy Birthday, Carly." "Oh, Ryder, it's beautiful!" "The new vegan recipe" "Vegan!" "Great!" "All right, blow out the candles, make a wish." "Carly, what are you doing?" "It's your birthday, let me take care of this." "Ryder, you've already done enough already." "Besides, you need to get home to your baby." "No, I just talked to Peter," "Cole is still down for his nap." "And besides, I live right next door, so I can literally be there in two seconds if they need me." "Thank you for everything you did for my party." "It was so much fun." "Well, speaking of fun, what does the birthday girl have planned for the rest of her evening?" "Hey, Mom, Trish just texted me, wants to know if I can go to a movie." "Can I go?" "Please?" "It looks like the birthday girl's going to be waiting up for her daughter." "Just be home by 11:00." "Thanks." "Love you." "Oh, and happy birthday." "Thanks, honey." "Be safe!" "And to think I was worried you wouldn't have anything to do tonight." "It's fine, Ryder." "It'll give me a chance to write my blog." "Okay, do not make me regret introducing you to the whole blogging world." "What are you talking about?" "I love writing my blog." "And I really think I have something to say." "I just hate to see you alone on your birthday." "I'm not alone." "I have thousands of followers who need to see a picture of this vegan cake." "Dad?" "Troy." "Didn't know you were stopping by." "Yeah, I was, um..." "I was wondering if maybe I could borrow 20 bucks?" "Just until next payday." "Stu and I are gonna hang out." "Didn't you just get paid yesterday?" "Well, yeah, but I meant, until I get paid next week." "You really need to manage your money more responsibly." "No, I do, it's just," "I had to buy new wheels for my board." "And it's like you always say, priorities, right?" "Yeah, I also always say" "I won't be sending you money every time you blow through your monthly allowance once you're in college." "So, that would be a "no"?" "Ding-ding-ding." "Thank you for playing." "Better luck next time." "Thanks, Dad." "I really learned an important lesson today." "Thanks, Aunt Lauren." "Have fun, kiddo." "I am trying to teach him a lesson." "And I'm trying to be his fun aunt." "You're not helping, Lauren." "See?" "I'm not alone." "Thanks for the ride." "Bye." "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" "Oh, no." "Did you have fun?" "Yeah." "How was the movie?" "It was good." "You know." "Yeah." "Well, as long as you had fun." "'Night, Mom." "'Night, kiddo." ""If you're a baseball player" ""and you get a hit" ""every other time you step up to the plate," ""they put you in the Hall of Fame." ""If you're a parent with that same batting average," ""all you can think about is where you went wrong." ""Unfortunately, there's no minor league for parenting." "Maybe there should be."" "Hello." "Hi!" "I brought a centerpiece from the store." "I thought it might help." "Carly, it's beautiful." "Well, what's a Spring bake sale without a few flowers?" "Thank you." "This all looks delicious." "Well, that's kind of the idea." "Hey, did you get an invite for the Bloggers Event at the community arts center?" "Yeah, I got it." "You're going to go, right?" "I don't know..." "Oh, come on, Carly, you have to go." "Blog readers love to put a name to a face." "Plus, it's a really great way to get your numbers up." "I'll think about it." "I'm a little distracted right now." "We just registered Sadie for classes at community college." "That's great." "Yeah, she's happy." "But not quite as happy as her mom, right?" "What does that mean?" "Well, you know, Sadie goes off to college, you have some time to maybe, you know, live it up a little?" "It's community college, Ryder." "She'll still be living at home." ""Living it up" is not exactly in the curriculum." "Carly, it's been 14 years since Jeff walked out on you, and you've done a wonderful job raising Sadie, but it's springtime" "It's the perfect time for a new beginning, especially for you." "Yeah, maybe you're right." "But it is not easy to meet new people, and I'm way out of practice." "Well, you just leave that up to me." "Wait, what?" "Don't be so nervous." "It's like riding a bicycle." "Okay, Conner, not a toy." "I need to see your throat again, so can you open your mouth, like, real wide?" "Mm-mm, no." "Can you open your mouth real wide like a big old shark, about to take a bite?" " No!" " No?" "Why not?" "I don't want to be a shark." "What do you want to be?" "I want to be a T-Rex." "He just loves dinosaurs." "Okay, why don't you open your mouth like a big old T-Rex about to take a bite?" "There we go." "Yeah." "Oh... okay." "Can you just..." "Yeah." "Open your mouth wide..." "Okay." "All right, Conner, you can jump down." "He really likes you, I can tell." "Yeah..." "His throat is a little red, but I don't think it's strep, but we're going to send his swab down to the lab just to, uh, to be sure." "Okay?" "Lauren!" "Morning, Tracy." "Good morning." "Would you send Conner's swab over to the lab, and see how fast they get back to us with results?" "Absolutely, Doctor." "I could come back in a few days, if you think that'll help?" "Uh, no, no." "We'll just see what the lab says, and Lauren will give you a call." "Tracy, are you still at the same address over in Deerhurst Park?" "Same address." "Just Conner and me." "Me and Conner." "That's not far from where Dr. Sommers lives." "No kidding?" "There's a little coffee place over there." "What's the name of that place, Doctor?" "Uh, Main Street Coffee Shop." "I know that place." "He's there practically every morning." "Maybe I'll see you there." "Maybe." "All right, Conner, let's get going." "No, I don't wanna to go." "I wanna play." "Okay, well, we're going to play at home." "I wanna play, I wanna play, I wanna play..." "Okay, yeah, sounds good." "See you, doctor!" "Bye." "These are the best of our new Spring flowers, so just keep them watered and out of direct sunlight." "Thank you." "Good night, Lauren." "Sure you won't change your mind about dinner?" "Love you, too." "Sadie?" "Troy?" "Troy, you here?" "♪ I love the way you look at me ♪" "♪ When you say "Hello" ♪" "♪ I thought maybe this was a dream ♪" "♪ Until you'd smile... ♪" "Thank you." "Best chicken tacos in town." "♪ ..." "It was the way you looked at me... ♪" "That looked good." "I'll try the chicken taco." "Thank you." "♪ ..." "Falling deeper for you ♪" "♪ Just like a clock striking midnight ♪" "♪ Just like a twinkle in your eye ♪" "♪ I couldn't help falling, falling, falling ♪" "♪ deeper for you ♪" "♪ You saw something deep within me ♪" "♪ No one else could see ♪ ♪" "All right, Conner, let's go in here." "Let's get some lunch." "No, I don't wanna go!" "I wanna go to the park!" "All right, we'll go the park..." "I don't wanna go!" "Come on, let's get a snack." "I wanna go to the park now!" "Now!" "All right, let's go later on." "Now!" "Now!" " Come on, Conner!" " Now!" "Come on..." "You don't want a snack?" "Let's get a snack, come on." "Come on, buddy..." "Conner, come here!" "I wanna go to the park!" "Can I help you?" "Uh..." "Yeah." "No." "You know, I might have some binoculars in the back, if you think that would help?" "Sorry, I was just..." "Hi." "Chicken taco." "Excuse me?" "In the park." "The... the food truck, next to the flowers." "Right, yes!" "Yesterday." "You were the guy with the..." "You saw that, huh?" "Well, he does make a really juicy taco." "Kind of worth it." "So, um... flowers." "Good eye." "Yeah, I mean, it... smells spring-y in here." "Good nose." "That's why I came in here this morning, to, uh, try some of your finest Spring flowers." "Okay, well, um, what did you have in mind?" "I don't know, what do you recommend?" "Well, that depends." "My personal favorites are roses." "But is this a special occasion?" "Uh..." "I don't know, maybe." "Possibly?" "Probably not." "What color roses would you recommend?" "Well, um, yellow for friendship, and red pretty much says "I love you."" "Oh, no, I think it's probably more of an ordinary occasion." "Daisies are nice." "They are bright and cheery, and, well, they pretty much say," ""Hey, have a really ordinary day."" "That sounds perfect." "Well, I'll just wrap these up for you." "And bless this food and drink, we pray, and all who share with us today." "Amen." "♪ Amen... ♪" "It all looks so good." "I can't thank you enough for the invitation." "And with such pleasant company, too." "Actually, we've been meaning to introduce you two for quite a while now." "I can't believe we haven't already met." "I mean, going to the same church and all?" "Yeah, right." "Life's funny that way, though." "Don't you think so, Carly?" "Um... sure." "I mean, you go along your whole life, just... sailing along." "Then one day, out of the blue, you meet somebody, and right off, bam!" "You feel this..." "Zzz connection." "Especially in Spring." "Everything is growing, and so... full of life." "It... it's..." "It's the circle of life." "The circle of life!" "So, Henry," "I'm not sure if you knew that Carly writes a very popular blog." "Well, I wouldn't say popular." "She's just being modest." "It's all about a mother raising teenage daughter, and all of the joys and the trials that go along with it." "People find it very insightful." "Well, I just hope you're not so busy writing about being a mom, that you neglect your real duties." "Excuse me?" "I should open the wine?" "Yeah." "None for me, thanks." "I never touch alcohol." "Wine would be fabulous." "I live next door, you really don't have to walk me home." "A gentleman always sees a lady to her door." "Call me old-fashioned." "Oh, believe me, Henry, that's not what I would call you." "As long as you call me." "I'm auditioning for the church choir, want to hear me sing?" "♪ Why should I feel discouraged?" "♪" "♪ Why should the shadows come?" "♪" "♪ Why should my heart be lonely ♪" "♪ When I long to be invited into Carly's home?" "♪" "Oh, it was a pleasure meeting you, Henry." "Ah..." "Spring, when a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love." "Oh..." "I agree we should take things slowly." "Maybe I'll see you in church." "Yes!" "I can't believe that we finally bumped into each other." "You know, if I didn't know better," "I might have thought you were trying to avoid me." "No." "Of course not." "See, I told you he liked you." "You know, his father remarried last year, and honestly," "I don't think he gives Conner the attention that he needs." "That-that can be hard." "Eat your food." "No, I don't want to." "You know, those are the same fries that are on your plate." "I want yours." "Do you mind?" "Oh, no, of course not." "Do you want ketchup?" "No, I want mustard!" "Conner's such a sweetheart." "He really thrives on the "hands off," instinctive parenting approach that Bestie Mom talks about in her blog." "I'm sorry, who?" "Bestie Mom." "She writes the blog "Parenting From the Soul"?" "I don't read..." "It's all about how to be a sensitive, emotionally available parent to your child, without setting a lot of rules or boundaries." "And I'm not afraid to admit that it's thanks to her blog that makes Conner who he is today." "Oh." ""Bestie Mom"?" "More like "Beastie-Mom."" "Let's see..." ""Parenting From the Soul."" "Hmm..." "Vegan?" "Why?" "What's the point?" ""Juggling..." "Dad."" ""Speaking as a single dad with a teenage son," ""I found your blog very enlightening." ""Of course, I always try to learn from other people's mistakes."" "What?" ""The idea that rules and guidelines" ""can be replaced with 'listening to your child's needs'," ""a. k.a., letting your kid get whatever they want, is just plain silly."" "Silly?" ""I have seen the results of your parenting advice," ""and it's not..." ""pretty." ""The next time you feel the urge to give advice," ""don't!" "Bestie Mom."" ""Dear Juggling Dad," ""if you take the time to hear what your son wants to say," ""I'm sure you'll see that it's not about 'getting, ' it's about sharing."" "Oh, please..." ""Try it." "You'll be amazed what a difference it makes."" "Yeah, don't have an answer for that, do ya?" "You okay?" "Oh, yeah." "Just writing my blog." "Don't go weird on me, Mom." "There comes a time when we must ask ourselves, what is at the heart of our duty as a parent?" "As a father myself," "I know that the joy I feel with my son is tempered by the knowledge..." "I still can't believe Henry went for it." "Fortunately, the door came between us." "...It is also a responsibility." "A responsibility to teach our children a love of right over wrong, of following the path of the virtuous." "To be true to themselves..." "Mom, I was thinking, maybe I shouldn't go straight to college after I graduate." "What?" "You know, maybe" "I should see the world a little first." "Travel." "Travel?" "Where?" "I don't know, Africa?" "Or maybe Indonesia?" "That sounds exciting." "...To provide our children with the guidance that they need to find their way in the world..." "She was completely oblivious to the fact that her son was terrorizing the entire restaurant, including me." "That's the thing about women with kids, it's a package deal." "No, no, I like kids." "That's why I'm a pediatrician?" "This wasn't a kid, this was a tornado with dimples." "This was your wife's fantastic idea." "She wants you to be happy." "Simon, look at me." "Look at me, don't I look happy?" "You look happy-ish." "The point is," "I don't need Lauren setting me up." "Technically, you set yourself up." "Come again?" "With those bright eyes and that cute smile, are you kidding?" "Half the women who bring in their kids just want to give you a big hug and a warm meal." "Come on, I'm being serious." "So am I. Simon, tell him." "It's true, we get a lot of inquiries regarding your status." "I don't have a status." "Well, maybe you should." "Okay, then, um, for future reference, my new status is "not interested."" "Especially if you get your parenting advice from "Bestie Mom."" "From what?" "Not what." "Who." "It's a mommy blog." "You know about this?" "Of course I do." "A lot of the moms have passed it around." "She has some good advice." "Oh, please." "Now you sound like Dad and Mom." "Nothing wrong with the way we were raised." "No, but it's a different world now." "A lot of that Old School approach just doesn't work anymore." "Something you might want to keep in mind." "What does that mean?" "Look, being the cool Aunt and all, sometimes, Troy talks to me, you know, about... things." "What kinds of things?" "The kind of things he should be talking with you about." "We talk all the time." "We had it all figured out, two years of community college, then she transfers to university to get her degree." "Now she's throwing darts on a map, wanting to travel." "She never said anything?" "First I've heard of it." "Well, if you don't want her to go, why don't you just tell her?" "Well, I can't do that." "Why not?" "Our relationship has always been built on mutual respect and understanding." "I don't just tell her what to do." "We talk it through." "Well, that's great, but, Carly, sometimes, you just got to law down the law." "Now you're sounding like Juggling Dad." "Who?" "This incredibly arrogant father who's been posting on my blog." "You wouldn't believe what he's been saying." "Well, I can hardly wait to read it." "Well, you better hurry, because I'm gonna delete it and block him." "Just as soon as I figure out what I'm gonna say to Sadie." ""The way I see it," ""rules have a way of closing doors" ""to any further discussion..." ""But sharing with your child keeps those doors open to a future you can build together."" "You sound like a fortune cookie." ""Hello, Bestie Mom." ""After reading your last entry," ""I see you ignored my advice." ""But the good news is," ""if this blog of yours doesn't work out... you have a great future in comedy..."" "Seriously?" ""Because I haven't laughed this hard in a long time."" ""Laugh all you want." ""If you don't listen to your son, don't be surprised when he stops listening to you."" ""Your problem is," ""you think setting a few rules for your kid makes you a dictator."" ""And your problem is," ""you're more interested in making rules than in listening to your son."" ""This coming from someone who uses baseball analogies... a game that is played entirely by the rules."" "Well." ""If you don't know the difference" ""between baseball and life," ""then that makes you... officially hopeless."" ""I'd rather be hopeless than flaky."" ""It's called passion..." ""something you obviously know nothing about."" "Well." ""Maybe not..." ""but there's one thing I do know..." ""if I ever need another good laugh, you'll be hearing from me."" "Don't bother." "You won't get an answer from me." "Goodbye." "Like I care." "Okay, so what was wrong with that last pair of jeans?" "Because I thought they looked really good on you." "I'm sorry, I don't want Mom jeans." "I want them to look good on me." "Okay." "We'll keep looking." "Listen, I was thinking about what you were saying about traveling, and I think we should talk about it." "Okay, we're not going to do this," "I'm not going to look all day..." " Hey." " Hi." "How are you?" "Uh, good." "Great." "How did those daisies work out?" "Oh, they were great." "They were very, um... ordinary." "Um..." "Carly." "By the way." "Andy." "It's great to finally meet you." "You too." "Uh, this is my daughter, Sadie." "Hi." "This is my son, Troy." "Hi." "Chemistry class, right?" "Uh, yeah." "Yeah, how are you?" "I'm good." "What are you fellas shopping for today?" "Oh, running shoes for, um..." "Trying to find the new 750s in red." "Have you looked at Saul's yet?" "Is that the one by Denim Loft?" "Uh, yeah, I was gonna go look for some jeans." "Sure, let's do it." "Cool." "All right, we'll be back." "Uh..." "Meet you by the food court." "Cool." "O...kay." "So, have you picked a college yet?" "Uh, well, we're waiting to see where he gets accepted, and then we're going to talk about financial aid." "You know, all that fun stuff." "What about Sadie?" "Well, we had a plan." "Um, a pretty good one, I thought." "Now... we're talking." "Yeah." "When Troy was born, I thought that, um, as he got older, that this whole parenting thing would get easier." "What about your wife?" "She passed away when Troy was seven." "I'm sorry." "It's okay." "It's just him and I." "And we talk, but... well, we..." "I guess we grunt our meaning across, you know?" "Which I guess is a form of talking, right?" "I know what you mean." "After Sadie's father left, it was just the two of us." "We were a little team." "From the time she was two years old, we could talk about anything." "Lately... not so much." "The other day," "I shouted upstairs to Troy to ask what he wants for dinner, and, um... he texted me back." "I can predict Sadie's moods depending on how many emoticons she uses in any given message." "What are you two talking about?" "Stuff." "So, did you get his number?" "Hmm?" "Troy's dad." "Oh, I, uh..." "What?" "No." "You obviously like him." "Well, sure, I mean, um..." "He seems like a nice enough guy." "So, what's the problem?" "We were just talking." "Well, if you change your mind," "I have Troy's number, so we can hook you two up." "Listen, I think we should talk about this whole traveling thing." "Trish warned me you were gonna try to talk me out of it." "You talked to Trish about this?" "Of course." "She's my best friend." "And this is only, like, the biggest decision of my life." "Right, um..." "I'm not going to try to talk you out of it." "I just want to make sure you've thought this all the way through." "Absolutely." "No, I definitely want to travel before I go to college." "Any particular reason?" "Mom, there are so many possibilities." "Just think about it, anything could happen." "Took the words right out of my mouth." "There's Trish." "She's waiting." "Thanks for the ride, Mom." "Trish will drop me off when I get back." "Sadie..." "Have fun." "Okay, Mom." "Love you." "I love you, too, babe." ""Help!" ""My daughter wants to travel the world." ""I already can't sleep until she's home from a movie." ""What's it going to be like" ""when she's thousands of miles away?" ""Not to mention what a bad idea it is" ""for her to put off starting school." "What am I supposed to do?"" "Yeah, Lauren sent me the link to that Bestie Mom blog." "Man, you two really went at it." "Well, she had it coming." "No, it was kinda cool, the way you went back and forth like that?" "Kinda hot, actually." "Hot?" "In a strictly "PG" kind of a way." "I was just trying to make a point, Simon." "People like that need to be called on the carpet once in a while." "Sure." "It's just a shame you can't put that energy to a better use." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Look, I know Lauren can be a little gung ho." "On the other hand, meeting somebody wouldn't be so bad either." "I don't know, maybe I did meet somebody." "Seriously?" "Okay, but you can't tell Lauren." "All right?" "Simon, I'm serious." "'Cause she's gonna be all over me for the details." "Scout's honor, man." "Who is she?" "Her name's Carly, and she runs a flower shop." "I guess we don't really know each other, but, uh... we just had coffee..." "Coffee's good." "We really seemed to hit it off." "So, what are you waiting for?" "Ask her out." "Go for it." "You think?" "Yeah, time to get back in the game, buddy." "Maybe you're right." "Troy." "My Man." "Hey, Uncle Simon." "Hey, dinner's almost ready." "You, uh, you going somewhere?" "Yeah, I just finished my homework, so I'm gonna go get something to eat with Stu, and hit the skate park." "Well, it's Thursday." "Lasagna night." "Dad, I'm guessing it'll be Thursday next week." "I'll have some lasagna then." "See you at 10:00." "Uh, make it 9:00." "It's a school night." "Dad, seriously?" "Everyone else can stays out till 11:00." "You're not everyone else." "All right." "I forgot." "See you at 9:00." "Goodnight, Uncle Simon." "Later, Troy." "It's a school night." ""Hello again, Bestie Mom."" "Oh, please." ""Looks like you didn't block me after all." ""You probably just forgot..." ""unless, of course, you really are interested in what I have to say."" "Don't flatter yourself." ""It sounds to me like it's time for another reality check." ""In a situation like this," ""somebody has to be the grown-up," ""and that somebody is you." ""If you don't want her to travel," ""if you think she should start school, tell her."" "Like I'd take advice from you?" ""I even have a suggestion" ""let her go away to college." ""That way, she gets to travel, and starts school."" ""Great idea." "Except she'll still be thousands of miles away."" ""Maybe." ""But she'll be in school, and isn't that what you want?"" ""What I want is what's best for my daughter."" ""If you really want what's best for her," ""stop trying to be her best friend and be her parent."" ""What's wrong with being both?"" ""You try being both, and you end up being neither."" ""Or you try being both, and you find out what a great person your kid is."" ""Yeah, well, good luck with that," "Bestie Mom."" ""Right back atcha."" "I don't get it." "She just doesn't talk to me like she used to." "That's normal." "She's trying to break out and be her own person." "I mean, we all did it." "Well, that's just it." "I've always let her be her own person." "I've never held her back, I've never set a bunch of rules." "It's always been about openness and mutual respect between us." "Yeah, well, maybe you should think more about what Juggling Dad was saying." "Wait a minute, you're not actually reading all that stuff he's been saying?" "It's kind of fun." "It is not fun." "Do not say fun." "I'm definitely sensing some chemistry between the two of you." "You think?" "But sometimes, he makes a good point." "Like telling Sadie exactly what you think?" "Oh, my gosh." "Oh..." "What?" "That guy." "I had coffee with him." "What?" "When?" "Do I look all right?" "Yeah, you look great." "Wait, who is he?" "Never mind." "Uh, okay, hey, so, uh, not too much sun, and keep the soil moist, and you'll be fine." "Oh, uh, okay." "Okay." "Oh!" "Andy, hi!" "Hi!" "Hey, how's it going?" "Good." "Yeah." "You?" "Great, great, yeah." "Yeah, thanks." "You're..." "You're busy." "No..." "I mean, uh..." "No..." "Thank you for coming in, and have a nice day." "Thanks for dropping by." "Enjoy this wonderful Spring weather." "So... what do you have in mind today?" "More daisies?" "Actually, I was hoping for something a little less ordinary." "For, like, a special occasion?" "I was hoping so, yeah." "For example, if it's, like, a date, then roses would be nice." "A red rose would be very special..." "I was thinking tacos?" "Tacos?" "Uh, yeah." "Um, you know, you and me, lunch together." "That..." "kind of thing." "Are you asking me out on a date?" "Yeah." "That is the general gist of the... direction I was kind of headed in." "I'm sorry, I'm not doing this very well..." "It's been a long time since I did this..." "No, no, you're doing great." "You're just saying that because I sound like a ninth grader asking a Senior high school cheerleader to the Prom, aren't you?" "No." "I promise." "Okay." "So, yeah." "Tacos?" "Tacos sound perfect." "Great." "Then I'll meet you at the park around noon tomorrow?" "I'll be there." "Then it's a date." "It's a date." "Bye, Carly." "Bye." "What are you doing?" "Oh, uh..." "Nothing, just, um..." "I'm having lunch with someone tomorrow." "I'm trying to figure out what to wear." ""Someone"?" "Okay." "Troy's dad." "Yeah, all right, Mom." "Yeah?" "You've obviously got to look good, but you can't look too good, because you've gotta leave somewhere to go fashion-wise, if there's a second date." "That's very insightful." "I'm in high school, this is what we do." "All right, give me details," "Tell me, what are we doing, where are we going?" "Okay, uh, very simple." "Tacos in the park." "Yeah." "No problem." "Hey, listen, honey, um, I've been thinking about... about your plans to travel next year, and, um..." "I say go for it." "Really?" "Thank you, Mom!" "Yeah, if you want to go off to a strange country, where you don't speak the language or know the local customs, then who am I to stand in your way?" "I mean, Mom, that's why I want to go, you know, like, I want to learn." "Yeah, and... what better way to learn than to have absolutely no help from anyone." "Yeah." "Not even me." "Uh..." "Yeah, that's..." "Yeah." "This is your chance to jump in the deep end of the pool, kiddo." "Sink or swim, all on your own." "I'm really proud of you." "Thanks, Mom." "What's the occasion?" "Uh, nothing, just seeing if this shirt still fits." "Whatever you say, Dad." "I have a date." "Cool." "I look okay?" "Sure, I..." "I guess." "Thanks." "Maybe untuck the shirt." "Let her know right off, you're chill." ""Chill."" "Got it." "Thanks." "No problem." "Thank you." "So those are crocuses Walks in the park and these tacos got me through some pretty bumpy times after my husband left." "Contemplating nature while savoring cilantro and jalapeno." "How do you do that?" "See, I end up wearing half of mine." "Oh, easy, it's all in the wrist." "Come on, I'll show you." "Yeah?" "Hmm?" "Okay." "Ta-dah!" "Okay." "I've been doing it wrong all these years." "...And I could see that this little girl was terrified of the needle." "I mean, I wasn't going to get anywhere near her." "So, I told her that, according to our records, her teddy bear also needed a shot, and would she mind if I did him first?" "Good thinking on your feet, Doc." "And the story got around, and ever since then," "I've been known as the Teddy Bear Doctor." "Aw..." "Now all my patients bring their stuffies to get a shot before they do." "You must be a really wonderful doctor." "No, I think what's wonderful is that I get to do something I love every day." "That's how I feel about flowers." "How did you choose flowers?" "Well, I knew I couldn't keep working an office job 9:00 to 5:00, and raise Sadie alone the way I wanted to, and, well..." "One of my favorite quotes is by Emerson," ""The Earth laughs in flowers."" "I wanted to be a part of that laughter." "And you meet the nicest people in flower shops." "That too." "The only drawback is, nobody ever things to give flowers to a florist." "How you doing?" "Uh, it's been a while." "You're looking great." "Very Tour de France." "Oh yeah, thank you." "Let's go one more time around." "I'll tell you about the time that Sadie and I built a bike ramp." "Wait, what?" "No, I never said I didn't want to go to college." "I just thought that traveling not only sounded like fun, but I don't know, a different way to get an education." "I don't see why it has to be one or the other." "Maybe I could do both." "That was fun." "Thank you." "Next time, do you want to go, like, for an actual dinner?" "Like, with a table, and eating utensils?" "I'd like that." "Hand me your phone." "The last time I did this, you had to actually write the number down." "This way, you can't lose the piece of paper." "I would never lose your number." "That sounded... emphatic." "I like emphatic." "Call me." "See ya, Doc." "Hi." "Hey, how was your date?" "It was... nice." "It seems like it was a little better than nice." "Yeah." "Goodnight." "Wait, Mom." "Um... do you think it would be too flaky if I changed my mind about traveling next year instead of going to college?" "Change your mind?" "I mean, I've just been thinking, and I don't know, maybe I should go to school." "Well, if that's what you want, honey." "And I was reading what that guy wrote on your blog, too, about maybe going away to college?" "Okay, wait, what guy?" "What was his name..." "Juggling Dad?" "Uh-huh?" "It makes sense." "If I go away to college, then I still get to travel, but I'm staying in school." "Uh, that's true." "I mean, it's... it's kind of perfect." "This guy must be some sort of genius or something." "Oh, he's something, all right." "Goodnight." "Goodnight." "Well, thank you, I'm so glad it helped." "Carly?" "Karissa?" " Yes!" " I don't believe it." "Oh, I was hoping I would run into you here." "Are you writing a blog?" "The adventures of raising four kids in a three-bedroom house, each day more exciting than the next." "Between you and me, it's cheaper than therapy." "Yeah." "So true." "Well, I will definitely look for it." "But what about you?" "I mean, honey, you are really on to something." "I am?" "Yeah, this thing you've got going with Juggling Dad?" "Oh." "No, no, no, no, that's just..." "No, no, it's brilliant." "Everybody's talking about it." "They are?" "Yeah." "Anyways," "I've gotta get back to my table, but it's so great to see you." "You too." "And I'll see you at the Bloggers' Symposium next month?" "We'll have coffee, catch up, you can tell me about the secret of your success." "I'd love that." "See you." "Can we just go in here for a second?" "They've got a book on hold for me." "Sure." "The rest of the week is pretty full, so we'd need to squeeze Bobby Sawyer in today." "His mom says that rash just won't go away." "Andy, are you listening?" "What?" "Yeah." "Bobby Sawyer." "Something you want to tell me?" "Not really, no." "I've known you all your life, little brother, and I've only seen that smile once before, the day you met your future wife." "Don't know what you're talking about." "And even if I didn't know you so well, you should realize by now that my husband can't keep a secret." "Yeah, that's probably true." "Now, who is she?" "She's just someone I met." "Does this someone have a name?" "Carly." "You really like her." "She's great." "Um..." "I mean, I just met her and all, so..." "But every time I see her, I..." "When do I meet her?" "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." "What?" "I didn't mean right away, just whenever you're..." "Oh." "I heard the book store was sponsoring this event." "Bestie Mom." "This I gotta see." "Andy..." "Oh, hi!" "Dr. Sommers!" "What a nice surprise." "Tracy, hi." "Conner." "Conner, say hi to Dr. Sommers." "No." "If you say hi to Dr. Sommers, we can visit the gift shop later." "Hi." "Hi." "Hi..." "Well, I was just saying to Conner..." "Hi." "we need to make an appointment and here you are!" "Here I am!" "Hi!" "I just can't get over how much he likes you." "Aw..." "He was so disappointed that we didn't hear from you after our dinner." "Yeah, I got busy with..." "with medicine." "Hi!" "Well, I thought that I would make another appointment so you could take another look at Conner's ear." "Throat?" "Ear." "Hi!" "Hi!" "Hi!" "Hi!" "Hi!" "Yes, uh..." "It just so happens" "I-I have a slot available right now." "Really?" " If you have time." " Yes, great." "Come with me, let's go visit my office." "Buy me a toy!" "Buy me a toy!" "Buy me a toy!" "Buy me a toy!" "Okay, come on." "Buy me a toy!" "Buy me a toy!" "Would you look at that." "I never realized how many of these mommy bloggers have written books." "I don't know, maybe I should do that." "You know, write some sort of a journal, slash, vegan cookbook kind of thing." "What do you think?" "Carly?" "Hmm?" "What are you doing?" "Oh." "Oh, nothing." "Just checking my messages." "Or lack thereof?" "This wouldn't have anything to do with the guy in the flower shop, would it?" "He's a pediatrician, and we... kind of had a date." "Okay, so you've been holding out on me." "No, no, I mean, it was super casual." "But it was really fun." "And there was a kiss." "Stop it." "But he said he would call." "Oh, honey, it's still early." "I mean, he's a pediatrician, right?" "He probably works all kinds of crazy doctor hours, right?" "Yeah." "You're fine." "He'll call." "Keep going." "You and Mr. Floppy were both very brave today." "Thank you." "Bye-bye." "Take care." "So, that was our last patient of the day," "I'm gonna go ahead and take off." "All right, let's hear it." "What?" "First of all, you rush into that community arts center like those mommy bloggers are rock stars, then you run out like the building's on fire." "Yeah..." "That was just after I found out that, um," "Carly... is Bestie Mom." "But aren't you Juggling Dad?" "I know." "I..." "I mean, how was I supposed to know" "I was writing those things to Carly?" "What are you going to do?" "Well, if I tell her, she's never going to talk to me again." "If I don't tell her, and she finds out later..." "Not the ideal way to begin a relationship." "No." "Maybe the best thing to do is just walk away." "Best for who?" "She told me to call her." "I want to call her." "How can I call her?" "But you do want to keep seeing her?" "Of course I do." "Then keep seeing her." "Let Juggling Dad vanish into the ether." "What?" "You're a nice guy, Andy." "That's the person she knows." "This other guy, Juggling Dad, let's call it a phase." "But it's over now." "So just forget about him, move on." "And never, ever bring it up again." ""Just wanted to give another shout out to Juggling Dad" ""for all the great parenting advice." ""Thanks to you, my daughter's no longer set on traveling the world." ""Instead, she's decided to go away to school." "Far away."" ": "It doesn't seem to matter where she goes," ""as long as it's not here." ""But that's not your problem." ""No..." ""your only concern is coming up with another snappy answer."" "And she hates me." "Hey, Mom, I'm home!" "Hey, baby." "Did you and Trish get a lot of studying done?" "Uh, yeah, we actually, started filling out online college applications." "Did you know there's a great Humanities program in Anchorage?" "I had no idea." "Alaska?" "Crazy, right?" "Crazy." "Well, uh..." "I gotta go to bed." "I love you." "I love you, too, baby." "So, why don't you just call him?" "Oh, and say what?" ""Oh, gee, hi," ""I hope this doesn't seem too pathetic, since I haven't heard from you."" "Well, I think there's a perfectly good explanation." "So do I, he's simply not interested." "Okay, that is not what I meant." "It's all right, Ryder." "You know, he's actually doing me a favor." "I have plenty on my plate, now that Sadie's decided to go away to college." "Yeah, how's that going?" "Apparently, they have a really nice Humanities program in Anchorage." "Thank you so much, Juggling Dad, who, by the way, has also decided to go radio silent all of a sudden." "Okay, but don't we not like him?" "Okay, but the point is, what is wrong with these men that just vanish into thin air?" "But you know what?" "I don't even care." "Because I am through with men." "I'm through with all of them." "Good morning, Carly." "You're looking very lovely this fine..." "Give it a rest, Henry." "...day." "♪ I'm a world away from you ♪" "♪ Here you are standing beside me ♪" "♪ What's in your heart I wish I knew ♪" "♪ Maybe then I'd see an open space for me... ♪ ...And as for Conner, it was... ♪ Don't you turn around and take from me ♪" "♪ Any chance to see the truth ♪" "♪ The door away is nearly shut ♪" "♪ Unlock the chains and let me through ♪" "♪ The pain you feel I feel it, too ♪" "♪ Say the words and I will take it ♪" "♪ Away from you ♪" "♪ And I will be... ♪" "♪ I will be your hiding place ♪" "♪ Somewhere to rest and hide your face ♪" "♪ I will be your hiding place ♪" "♪ Somewhere you can go... ♪ ♪" "Hey." "♪ You're underwater and I'm staring down at you ♪" "♪ So I reach out to take your hand ♪" "♪ If I reach much further down... ♪" "Hey." "Quick question for you, um, hypothetical, let's say that you were messaging with somebody, like, on their blog, or something like that, and, um, you weren't using your real name." "Mm-hmm?" "Is there any way that person could figure out who you really were?" "Like, I don't know, like, trace it or something?" "Nah, those sites usually have pretty good security." "You'd have to be some kinda hacker or something." "Okay." "Hey, are you seeing Sadie's mom again?" "Yeah, that's complicated." "Hmm." "Yeah, that's usually what guys say when they chicken out." "Oh." "Good point." "No card?" "It was too small." "There wasn't enough room to write all the things I wanted to say." "You got me flowers?" "Yeah." "I think it's a shame that no one gives florists flowers." "I'm sorry, Carly." "I haven't felt this way about anyone in a long time, and I..." "I got scared." "What was I supposed to think when you just disappeared like that?" "I know." "It's no excuse, and I wouldn't blame you if you told me to hit the road, but... if you'd give me one more chance?" "I thought you liked daisies." "I do, but you told me roses were for special occasions." "Don't be charming." "I mean it," "I want to stay mad at you longer." "Fair enough." "While we're on the subject..." "I was scared, too." "You were?" "I haven't felt this way about someone in a long time either." "Lasagna." "Lasagna?" "Lasagna Thursday." "Why don't you come over to my house tomorrow night, and let me cook you dinner?" "You should get that." "Okay." "It's from you." "It's my address." "You had your address in a text message, waiting to be sent?" "I'm an optimist." "I'll see you tomorrow." "Hey." "Thank you for the roses." "See you tomorrow." "It's not Thursday." "Uh, yeah, actually, I was gonna tell you, um, so, if you want to, uh, hang with Stu tonight, maybe grab something to eat..." "And what the heck, hit the skate park after." "And take your time." "I won't, uh, I won't mind." "You have a date tonight." "As a matter of fact..." "With Sadie's mom." "Yeah." "All right, Dad." "Oh, and I'm running a little bit behind, so why don't you take the car?" "I'm kind of liking this whole new "dating dad" thing you've got going on." "Go, go." "Later, Dad." "Go." "So there I am, I'm all set." "I've been training for months, and the instructor pops the hatch, and suddenly, I am staring 12,000 feet straight down, and I'm wondering why I'm about to jump out of this perfectly good airplane." "Good question." "And this guy, he starts yelling in my ear," "I mean, he's saying all the right things, but..." "I can't move." "So, what did you do?" "Well, the instructor, he grabs me, and he pulls me close, and he looks me square in the eye, and he says, "Andy..." ""if you don't want to go, you don't have to go."" "And then he pushes me out of the airplane." "What?" "I know, right?" "So, I'm falling, and I'm screaming my head off, and, uh, the chute opens, and then I'm..." "I'm floating." "Wow." "And I'll tell ya, Carly, when that plane landed," "I promised myself something, that I would never, ever do anything on that stupid bucket list ever again." "Smart man." "Yeah." "Which has been pretty easy, because it's just been Troy and I, so, you know..." "Yeah, well, you definitely look at things differently when you're a single parent." "So, what about you?" "Any bucket list for you?" "Oh, I, uh," "I'm afraid the closest I come to doing anything interesting is, um, writing a blog." "Oh, you have a blog?" "Oh, just thoughts, you know?" "About my life, about raising Sadie." "Right, so you're not that into it, or anything?" "No, I'm, um... pretty passionate about it." "And the thing is," "I think people are really listening." "Okay, as a matter of fact," "I was just invited to attend the State Bloggers' Conference." "Wow, you must be pretty popular." "Well, more so lately." "Okay, that's another thing." "Most of my followers are great, like, totally civilized." "But there is this one guy, oh, my gosh, he is such a troll." "Oh." "Is he really that bad?" "Okay, and here's the weird part, the more that we argue, the more people seem to enjoy it." "And I mean, some of the things this guy says..." "Sometimes, it's hard to tell with people, you know, I mean, especially on the Internet." "I mean, they say something that sounds harsh, but it's not really who they are." "Oh, no." "No, no, no." "I can totally see this guy, just sitting at his laptop, with his little sneer, twirling his mustache..." "Wow, I..." "I'm sure this guy was way out of line, but, you know, after he thought about the things he said," "I'm sure he's probably very sorry." "Yeah, I mean, I guess an apology would be nice." "Yeah." "You are absolutely right." "Absolutely." "Um..." "Yup." "So, here goes..." "Oh." "Dessert's ready." "Yup, um..." "No, go." "I mean... don't let it burn." "Don't go anywhere, okay?" "Okay, well, I'll just clear the dishes." "No, no, no, I can do that." "No, I don't mind." "What?" "I don't know if you've ever tried this, but fresh apple pie with mint chocolate chip ice cream..." "You're Juggling Dad?" "Carly, I..." "Okay, I don't understand." "Is this some kind of joke to you?" "Will you let me explain?" "You lied to me." "You're not who you say you are." "You're..." "Thanks to your great advice, my daughter's going who knows where?" "Look, I'm sorry," "I just found this out myself," "I was going to tell you, but I didn't want you to be angry." "Oh, well, at least you got that part right." "Carly, wait." "Please, don't go." "Goodbye, Andy." "It's been a week." "Why don't you give her a call?" "I tried." "She blocked me." "Ouch." "Yeah." "To be honest, I don't know what I'd say, if she did let me talk to her." ""I'm sorry" would be a nice start." "Yeah, absolutely." "But she already forgave me once." "I don't know why she'd give me another second chance." "Maybe she just needs some time to sort herself out." "No." "No, it's too late." "She's already made up her mind." "I'm sorry, buddy." "I should have told her, you know?" "From the beginning, when I found out the truth." "I just should have told her right then." "How could she ever trust me again?" "Hey, Dad, is it okay if I stay out a little later tonight?" "You know the rules." "Home by 10:00." "Yeah, but, uh..." "I kind of have a situation..." "Troy, hey!" "Why is everything a debate with you, huh?" "You're home by 10:00, or you don't go out at all." "Is that clear enough for you?" "You know, Dad, sometimes, I just can't believe you." "Hey, you listen to me, young man..." "No, you listen, because you never listen." "It's always your rules, and your way, but I can't wait to leave, so I don't have to listen to this anymore." "They're the same person." "Oh, okay, so then he's also a kind, funny, intelligent, good-looking man." "Okay, that's not..." "I was..." "The point is, he should have told me." "Well, maybe he had a good reason." "Like what?" "I don't know, maybe he realized he made a mistake, and he didn't want this to happen." "He didn't want to lose you, and so he took a chance by not telling you." "Then, it didn't work out." "Okay, but what about Sadie?" "Thanks to Juggling Dad, she's now going away to college." "Yeah, and thanks to Andy, you have a new friend if she does." "Ryder, you know, after Jeff left Sadie and me, it took me years to trust again." "I don't know that I'm ready to take a chance with Andy." "Look, Carly, no one can tell you what to do, but what I do know, is you were much happier with him than you have been without." "Sadie?" "Sadie?" "Hi." "Oh, my goodness, you are burning up." "Yes." "All right, no." "No, no, that's fine." "I'll just, I'll get her to urgent care right away." "Okay, All right, thank you." "Excuse me," "I'm sorry, but do you know how much longer it's going to be?" "We're going to get her in as soon as we can, Mrs. Ashby." "Just try to be patient." "Carly." "Andy." "Hi." "I didn't know you worked here." "I don't, I got a call." "I was just checking on a patient of mine." "What are you doing here, are you guys okay?" "I'm fine." "It's Sadie, she's..." "I don't know what's going on." "Does she have a fever to go with that cough?" "She's burning up." "She didn't tell me." "Apparently, she's been sick the last couple of..." "I don't want..." "I know you're busy." "No, no, how long have you been waiting here?" "Over an hour." "Okay." "Hi, Sadie." "I'm Dr. Sommers, remember me?" "You can call me Andy." "Hi." "Hi." "So, uh, not feeling so hot, huh?" "No." "Yeah?" "Kinda tired, lethargic?" "Uh-huh." "Okay." "You came to the right place." "Um, who is her regular doctor?" "Dr. Sheridan." "But Andy, really, you don't have to do this." "No, no, wait right here." "I'm going to find us a room." "I got your records from Dr. Sheridan." "Looks like you're a pretty healthy young lady." "Yeah." "Which means we're gonna need to run some tests to find out what's really going on with you." "But don't be nervous, okay?" "Okay." "Your mom's just outside." "Do you want me to ask her to come in?" "I don't want her to worry." "Well, she's your mom." "It kind of comes with the territory." "She worries too much." "About me, about my going away to school." "Well, it's a big decision." "I mean, you've got to find a school that's right for you, right?" "Yeah, but how do you know which one's right?" "Your mom's a pretty smart lady." "You should talk to her about that." "I do." "I can just tell how much it bothers her when I talk about going away." "I'll probably end up at a community college like she wants." "You know..." "Sadie, I can't speak for your mom, but I'm pretty sure she's more interested in what you want." "I want to go to Alaska." "But I also want to stay here." "I know how crazy that sounds." "No." "No, it sounds like you love your mother very much." "You know, there are some good schools nearby." "If you found one you liked, you could probably come home on weekends whenever you wanted." "She's going to be fine." "She's got a mild form of pleurisy, which is an inflammation around the lungs." "That's why it hurts when she coughs." "So, what do we need to do?" "Well, we caught it early enough, so we can treat it with antibiotics and a lot of rest." "And she's gonna be tired for a while, but she'll be back to being her old self again before you know it." "Thank you, Andy." "Carly, I'm sorry." "You don't have to say anything." "No, I do, I do." "I mean, I apologize for what I wrote, but, uh..." "I'm even more sorry that I didn't take your advice." "What advice?" "What you wrote on your blog, about listening to your kids?" "It made sense." "I just..." "I didn't hear it." "You were right, too." "About being honest with our kids, even when they don't want to hear." "How else are we going to help them make right decisions?" "Well, look at us." "A couple of parents, huh?" "Yeah." "I'll write her that prescription and leave it at the front." "Okay." "She can go whenever she's ready." "Okay?" "Take care." "You too." ":" "See you later, guys." "I'm not late." "Nope, you're right on time." "Oh, well, um..." "I'm just gonna get something to eat." "So..." "How about a, uh, milkshake?" "Mint chocolate chip?" "Is there any other kind?" "Hit it." "So, tell me about your friend." "What?" "I got home just before you did." "She looks nice." "What's her name?" "Rebecca." "We just hang out sometimes." "You know." "And she's the reason you wanted to stay out later tonight, to spend time with her?" "It's okay." "No." "No, it's not okay." "I was mad at myself, and I took it out on you." "And you were right," "I don't listen, and I'm sorry about that." "That is gonna change." "I kinda get it, though." "What?" "Look, I know it hasn't been easy for you to be a single parent, but I want you to know," "I think you're a great dad." "Yeah?" "Absolutely." "I just think, maybe, you need to have a little more faith that I was listening to everything you were saying, even when it didn't seem like it." "Thanks." "Now, maybe you should start thinking a little more about yourself." "What are you talking about?" "Come on, Dad, you think I don't know that you have a thing for Sadie's mom?" "Oh, yeah..." "I think that ship has sailed." "Do you like her?" "Yeah." "But I mean, do you like her?" "Yeah." "So, fix it." "When did you get to be so smart?" "Hi." "Hey, baby." "Oh..." "How you feeling?" "I'm tired." "But I feel better." "Mm, well, doctor said you needed to get plenty of rest." "He likes you, you know." "Oh, well... sometimes, honey, things just don't work out." "It's hard, but I'll just have to accept it, and... move forward." "Mom, you need me." "I should stay." "Oh..." "I don't think so." "Why?" "I am so proud of you, kiddo." "You've grown up to be an incredible person and a really great friend." "I think that's why" "I wanted to keep you close." "Just being around you," "I enjoy you." "I like you." "But I know I can't keep you to myself forever." "Mom, I feel like sometimes I know exactly what I want to do, and then sometimes, I just get so confused." "Oh... sweet pea." "As soon as you are up to it, we're going to have a good long talk about next year, and I promise you, whatever you decide, we'll figure it out together." "Okay." "Okay." "But right now, you need to get some rest." "And I've got to catch up on my reading." "Mom?" "I love you." "I love you, baby girl." "Goodnight." "Everything okay?" "Yeah, I think so." "Have I told you lately I'm proud of you?" "No." "Why?" "You've done a great job with Troy." "You sound like Dad and Mom." "That's a good thing." "Thank you." "Thank you." "It's nice meeting you." "Thank you." "This is so fun!" "I feel like a celebrity." "Carly, there you are!" "Karissa, hi!" "How are you doing?" "Just dandy." "Would you look at this turnout?" "I mean, who'd have thought a bunch of moms would attract this much attention?" "I know, I can't believe it either." "Anyways, I just wanted to say hi, but, listen, I gotta go in a minute, but everybody's been asking about you and Juggling Dad." "What about him?" "It's been a couple of weeks since you two crossed swords." "What's going on?" "No, no, that's over." "Not going to be hearing from him anymore." "Too bad." "He was fun, in a "wanna slap him silly" kind of way." "This is the garden pea flavor." "Enjoy." "Psst, have you seen Carly?" "Yeah..." "No!" "Henry, what are you doing here?" "I know, right?" "This blogging stuff is so boring, but I'm sure Carly will be thrilled to know" "I'm here to support her." "I'm going to surprise her." "Oh... kay." "Perfect." "Okay, see you in there." "Thanks, honey." "Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" "Mom, I'm fine." "The antibiotics really did the trick." "Okay, well, listen, I've been thinking, as long as you're feeling up to it, maybe we should, uh, plan a little road trip next weekend." "Where are we going?" "Well, you should start looking at schools." "You can't decide where you want to go if you haven't seen them for yourself." "That would be great." "It'll give me a chance to really plan out my next steps, you know?" "Figure out where I want to go, or what I even want to do." "I love that." "I just want to make sure you're not doing this for me." "Mom... sometimes, I need you, and this is exactly what I need right now." "We should go inside." "Morning, everybody, and welcome to the 5th Annual Mom Blogger Symposium!" "We have bloggers here from every corner of the world." "Are you guys excited?" "Before we move on to the scheduled events, we had kind of a special request." "A lot of you might recognize the name, so I won't waste time with introductions." "And we want to hear what's on your mind." "Um..." "Thank you, Karissa, for giving me a moment of your time." "I know everyone here is probably busy, so I promise this will just take a second." "My name is Andy Sommers, but some of you might know me better as..." "Juggling Dad." "Yes, I'm that guy, who, uh... who thought he was qualified enough to tell everyone else the right way to be a parent." "I know, that's pretty funny." "Um, well, I can tell you, it didn't take long for me to find someone who was more than willing to, um, how shall I say this, educate me on the subject." "Now, you know her as Bestie Mom, but her real name is Carly." "And the truth is, she is the best mom, and one of the best people I've ever met." "After meeting her in person, it didn't take very long before I was falling for her." "But after some of the things that Juggling Dad had said, or written online," "I was scared that she might not like Andy after she found out we were the same person." "So, I didn't tell her." "And that was biggest mistake I've ever made." "That's why I'm here today." "Carly," "I was never been happier than when I was with you." "And I know I have no right to ask this, but I promise you, if you will give me one more... one more chance," "I will do everything I can to make you as happy as you make me." "Go..." "Carly, you once told me that yellow roses were for friendship and red meant "I love you."" "I'll let you decide." "Can I have both?" "All right, Mom!" "Way to go, Dad!" "Daisies, my favorite." "I picked them myself."