Chapter 8 - Serena Had Been Trying To Make Me Question Nora Too
My attorney advised me to preserve messages before changing anything else.
That is when I found the pattern in my own phone.
Serena had been sending small comments for nearly a year.
Nora had another “episode.”
Quotation marks.
She magically recovered when I mentioned canceling her tablet time.
Your daughter knows exactly how to get sympathy.
I think you reinforce this by rushing to rescue her.
At the time, I replied with things like:
Keep me posted.
Okay.
Maybe talk to her teacher.
Once:
She does get dramatic.
I wanted to throw the phone.
Serena had not only mistreated Nora privately.
She had been preparing me to interpret Nora’s reactions through suspicion.
That mattered because children rarely report abuse with perfect vocabulary.
They become clingy.
Angry.
Quiet.
Forgetful.
Defiant.
The adult who controls the interpretation can decide what those signals mean.
Serena made sure mine meant:
Nora is difficult.
Not:
May you like
Nora is scared.
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