“I really should have called you. I’m sorry.”
“You were,” I told him. “Just sideways. You gave her the space to breathe, but we have to make sure she’s breathing in the right direction.”
He let out a long breath. “I don’t want her thinking I’m just the ‘fun’ parent. The one who lets her run away when things get hard. That’s not the dad I want to be.”
“I know,” I said. “Just… remember that kids need boundaries and a framework, okay? And no more secret rescues, Mark.”
He offered a small, crooked smile. “Team rescues only?”
“You gave her the space to breathe.”
I felt a corner of my mouth twitch upward. “Team problem-solving. Let’s start there.”
Emily turned around, shielding her eyes from the sun. “Are you guys done negotiating my life yet?”
Mark laughed and held up his hands. “For today, kiddo. For today.”
She rolled her eyes, but as she climbed into my car to go home and rest before the “fallout” started, I saw a genuine smile touch her face.
“Are you guys done negotiating my life yet?”
***
By the end of the week, things weren’t perfect, but they were better. The counselor had shuffled Emily’s schedule so she wasn’t in the same English or Gym blocks as the main group of girls. Formal warnings were issued.
More importantly, the three of us started communicating more openly.
