Chapter 17 - DAD WASN’T THE HERO EITHERDad wanted us to move in with him immediately.
Family court said:
Not so fast.
His apartment had one bedroom.
He worked maintenance supervision for a food-distribution company near Dayton.
He had been sober more than five years.
Stable job.
No recent arrests.
Good.
But he had not parented Ethan independently since toddlerhood.
He barely knew his routines.
School.
ADHD evaluation.
Allergies.
Favorite foods.
Dad thought Ethan hated peanut butter.
Ethan ate it daily.
He did not know my college plans.
Thought I wanted nursing.
I wanted civil engineering.
Dad had missed years.
Good intentions did not download them.
The court created a graduated temporary schedule.
Visits.
Then weekends.
Family therapy.
Dad hated the slowness.
Then his attorney told him:
“You spent years absent. You do not repair that by demanding immediate authority.”
May you like
He listened.
That was one reason I eventually trusted him more.
Related Stories
