Dear Dr. Bradley,

I've always felt that my first responsibility was to my son for the 18 years that he lives at home and part of that responsibility is keeping him stable in the best possible schools. I moved around all the time as a kid and hated it.

That said: like so many others I got derailed by the economy and laid off almost two years ago. Financially, career wise and just for my own mental health I need a new job. The trouble is we may need to relocate OR I face a nasty commute with a lot less family time (the jobs I'm interviewing for are both 51 miles away).

How tough is it REALLY on teens to have to uproot? My son is a good student who brings home As and Bs in honors classes and his high school is excellent. A lot of parents from surrounding districts waiver their kids in. Equally as important, he has a lot of friends, all great kids with involved parents etc.

My sense is that this would be very tough and I need to make the sacrifice for a few more years (he's in 9th grade) and either commute or accept a lower paying job close to home. But I would love your 'expert' opinion, as I have a great deal of respect for you and like so many other parents, it's been a life saver and eye opener for me.

Thank you!