Chapter 21 - Ethan Asks Why We Divorced
At six, Ethan asked:
“Did you divorce because Grandma took my room?”
Not entirely.
I answered:
“That day showed me Mom and Dad had bigger problems we had not fixed.”
“What problems?”
“Making decisions without asking each other and being honest about money.”
“Money?”
“Yes.”
“Did Dad steal?”
Careful.
“He used some papers with my signature in a way I had not agreed to.”
“Is that stealing?”
“It was wrong, and adults handled it through lawyers and court.”
“Dad bad?”
“No.”
“Grandma bad?”
“No.”
He groaned.
“Everybody not bad.”
“People can do bad things.”
He looked annoyed.
Children want categories.
I refused to give him one that would trap him.
Ryan was his father.
Linda his grandmother.
He could love both.
Trust differently.
That complexity belonged to adults to support.
May you like
Not child to solve.
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