Every author who writes for young people has many stories about doing book signings, where a parent and child come up to the table for an autograph, and every question to the child is answered by the adult.
‘What’s your name?’ you say to the child. ‘Kevin,’ answers his mother. ‘What school do you go to?’ you ask Kevin. ‘Upwey High,’ says the mother. ‘How are old you?’ you ask the child. ‘Twelve,’ answers the mother. ‘Really? You look more like forty,’ you feel like saying to the mother, but you generally bite your tongue.
Sometimes it’s nervousness that makes us speak for our children. But it’s a good habit to break, as it’s depriving our sons of their right to speak for themselves and, instead, makes them feel dependent and inadequate.