Chapter 22 - Colin learns to parent without Marcia
For the first year, Colin repeatedly called Marcia during parenting time.
What bottle?
What temperature?
What if Theo cries after eating?
What does this rash look like?
Normal questions for a new father.
The problem:
He kept outsourcing confidence to the same person whose philosophy had helped create the crisis.
His parenting coordinator noticed.
So did Alessandra.
The court did not order:
Never speak to Mom.
Instead, Colin took a newborn-care class.
Then infant CPR.
Then several sessions with a parenting coach.
At ten months, he completed his first full afternoon with Theo without Marcia present.
Nothing happened.
No emergency.
No disaster.
Theo threw mashed banana at the wall.
Colin cleaned it.
At one exchange he told Alessandra:
“I thought I needed Mom because you had your dad.”
Alessandra answered:
“You needed to be a parent.”
There.
He said:
“I know.”
Maybe he did.
Not enough to restore the marriage.
Enough to improve fatherhood.
By Theo’s second birthday, Colin had regular unsupervised parenting time.
No evidence he neglected Theo.
No corporal punishment.
No using meals as leverage.
His mistakes with Alessandra did not automatically predict every future interaction with his son.
The court required evidence.
May you like
So did we.
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