“Sarah lets me stay awake until ten.”
“Sarah says children need breaks from chores.”
“Sarah lets me eat dessert before dinner sometimes.”
None of those things were terrible on their own.
They were simply different from the expectations in my house.
When I raised the subject with Darren, he smiled as though I were making something out of nothing.
“Jen, relax,” he said. “Different houses have different rules.”
I wondered whether he was right.
Maybe I was being controlling.
Maybe I was afraid that if Emma enjoyed herself too much at her father’s house, she would stop wanting to come home.
I hated even thinking that.
So instead of arguing, I tried to become more flexible.
I allowed later bedtimes on weekends. I stopped insisting that her room be perfectly tidy. I bought a few of the snacks Sarah kept at their house.
But none of it seemed to matter.
