“Mom, Cassidy just needs to learn a few things about how all of this works. She’s impulsive, and she doesn’t always think about how her actions affect other people. She didn’t know she was delaying Jamie’s procedure because of her stunt. She probably thought I wouldn’t want to worry you and wouldn’t tell you about it until it was over, like last time. But she’ll see how her actions distressed everyone around her this time, and maybe she’ll stop this ridiculous behavior.”

“Or maybe I’ll put her in boarding school,” Liz said, wiping at her eyes and straightening up. “Maybe if she had to spend a few months away from...