I missed spending time with my adult son, so I hired him as my golf instructor

The author was looking for a way to reconnect with her son when he returned home after college.

She realized she could use a few tips on the putting green, and he needed cash.

Courtesy of Andrea Tate.

My son was more independent when he returned from college, and it was hard for us to connect.

I knew he needed cash, and I could use some golf lessons, so I decided to hire him.

The lessons gave me a chance to see a different side of him, making them a solid investment.

When my now 23-year-old son returned from college , I noticed he was more independent.

While this is what every parent wants, it also means fewer interactions between us.

He now got up on his own without me knocking on his door, made his own egg sandwiches in the morning, and drove himself everywhere.

I was no longer the alarm clock, the cook, or the chauffeur.

He was planning to move out of our house soon to get his first apartment in Los Angeles and leave behind boring suburbia.

I knew he needed extra cash because he was still looking for a job, and I was desperate to spend some quality time with him.

Then I had an idea.

"I need you to teach me golf," I said one morning.