“What am I supposed to do?”
“Not punish her.
Not pretend either.”
That was difficult advice.
I had always believed motherhood meant making things easier for Lauren.
When she was a child, that often made sense.
She needed help with homework.
Comfort after disappointment.
Protection from problems beyond her control.
But Lauren wasn’t a child now.
She had made an adult decision.
An unfair one.
And expecting me to immediately smooth away the consequences wouldn’t help either of us.
I began living normally.