My Mother-in-Law Threw My Daughter’s Christmas Dinner Into the Wall—Then I Learned Christmas Wasn’t the First
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Chapter 10 / 15
Chapter 10 - Daniel Thought Saying “I Never Hit Lily” Was a Defense
Daniel’s first argument was predictable.
“I never touched her.”
Claire stared at him across the mediator’s table.
“You let food be withheld.”
“I didn’t withhold it.”
“You watched.”
“My mother handled discipline.”
“She’s five.”
“I thought you were exaggerating.”
“You had the doctor’s call.”
Daniel went quiet.
“You had the school’s call.”
Nothing.
“You knew.”
Finally he said:
“I didn’t think it was abuse.”
Claire answered:
“That’s the problem.”
Daniel seemed to believe fatherhood should be graded only by what he personally did with his hands.
Claire disagreed.
Sometimes failure is physical.
Sometimes it is sitting comfortably at a Christmas table while your child cries from hunger and saying:
May you like
Mom said enough.
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