“Kaylee Marie, that cost over two hundred dollars. You’re grounded ’til you’re thirty.” And there you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Successful Parenting 101—hand out ridiculous consequences to ensure your child will never take you or your discipline seriously.
As Kaylee awaited her reaction, Sara was torn between laughter and exasperation. This was far from the first time this particular thing had happened. And no matter how many times she pointed out to the other woman that she should keep valuable things from her daughter’s reach, she still refused to heed Sara’s warnings. It was almost as if she wanted this very thing to occur over and over so she could be the victim. If that was the case, it had backfired on her today with Sara not here to do damage control. Instead of chastising Kaylee, it took everything she had not to applaud her for neatly turning the tables on her mother. Chris appeared embarrassed that she’d witnessed the episode, which was ironic considering she was on the front lines here every day. “Nic, you could put that lotion in the bathroom cabinet. Kaylee doesn’t know that it’s that expensive—neither did I, for that matter.” He said the last part under his breath, but they all heard it.
“Come on, munchkin, help me put my stuff away,” Sara said as she attempted to lead her niece from the room. Not only did she not want to hear her brother and his wife arguing, she didn’t want Kaylee to either.
But the little girl seemed determined to dally. “You don’t got anything, Sarie,” she said as she looked up at Sara in confusion. “What do you need help for?” Sometimes it was a real pain how literal everything was for kids. Another adult would have likely taken the hint, but not a five-year-old.
“Er—I meant, let’s go start dinner. I bet you’re hungry.” When Kaylee opened her mouth, Sara decided to forgo waiting for her reply, knowing they’d still be standing there in an hour. So she bent down to pick her niece up instead. “You gotta know when to fold ’em, kid,” she whispered as she whisked her from the room and down the hallway toward their wing of the house. Luckily, Chris and Nicole’s room was upstairs, and Sara’s and Kaylee’s were downstairs. Without that modicum of privacy, there was no way she could have stayed for so long.
“I missed you,” Kaylee said once again, and Sara hugged her before sitting her down.
“Me too, kiddo. I should have taken you with me today.” Maybe I could have passed her off as my kid. Proof I’ve had sex.
Kaylee climbed up on Sara’s bed and lay back on a pillow as if she’d been thoroughly exhausted by the day. Sara kicked off her shoes and settled in next to her. “Can we go to Walmart and get my toy?”
“What toy?” Sara asked absently, before remembering Nicole’s bribery. “Sweetie, you know that you don’t deserve a reward, don’t you? Remember how I explained that you’re to listen to and respect adults?” Even your mother. She kept that part to herself and continued on, “Throwing a tantrum to force your mom to buy you something isn’t right.”
Kaylee was silent for a few moments as if mulling over her words. “But saying mean stuff about your kid isn’t good either, is it, Sarie? She said she wished her daughter was a proper young lady. And how Melody was so lucky.”
Kaylee recalled her mother’s words in a detached voice, but Sara could sense the underlying hurt beneath her almost robotic tone. Melody was a news anchor at the television station where Nicole worked, and also one of her closest friends. Her daughter, Maisie, was only a year older than Kaylee, but they were complete opposites in most every way. As far as she could tell, Maisie was a miniature clone of her well-dressed mother. She’d be surprised if the child even owned any toys. At six, she was so poised, she even made Sara feel self-conscious. Rolling up onto her side, Sara laid a hand on Kaylee’s stomach. “Well . . . I bet I know something you can do that Maisie can’t.” The little girl’s eyebrows rose in interest, making her look so darned adorable that Sara wanted to pull her into a big hug, but she managed to resist—for now. “Can you imagine Maisie making dinner? Especially something as messy as spaghetti?”
Kaylee jumped right in, matching Sara’s theatrical voice as she said, “Oh no, what