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70 KIDS BAY AREA NEWS GROUP TEEN PARENTS' BIGGEST FEARS ESSAY BY CHUCK BARNEY ILLUSTRATION BY MARIE ASSÉNAT S ometimesgoodandbadnewscomeintertwined. To wit: As my son David's senior year of high school wound down, he learned that his academic achievements qualified him to be class salutatorian. That was the good news. The bad news? The salutatorian had to deliver a graduation speech in front of a jampacked football stadium. Gulp. While David never inherited my love for sports, he did acquire the same paralyzing shyness I had at that age. Lord, we worry about so many things during the teen years — bullying, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, the internet. Why add this one to the list? My wife, Diane, gave David a major pep talk and made sure he rehearsed his speech ad nauseam. Still, I was a wreck on grad night. Negative images ran through my brain: David tripping on the way to the podium. The wind blowing away the pages of his speech. Him choking in crunchtime. After years of raising our children, there comes a time when we must loosen the reins. As our kids move through youth and into adulthood, they will make decisions — good and bad — that are informed by the way we raised them. We need to trust them and trust that, after all that parenting, they are prepared to create a fulfilling life for themselves. As for my son's speech, it went well. He delivered his lines crisply and with confidence. The crowd laughed in all the right places. As he left the stage, I absolutely beamed with pride. Maybe our kid was ready to navigate this great big world after all. A N D L I T T L E S T