"Don't, okay? I don't need this today." I slam my hands in the water, hating that she does this. She sees behavior in me she deems problematic, and she looks for the reasons and tries to talk it out. Constantly pushing me to open up, let things go, or face them head-on. Always critical of how I was raised and what my stand-in mother molded me into.

"The kid was in the wrong. Why is no one yelling at her? Why am I the bad bitch, like always?"

"She's five. She's excited because it's a party, and she gets carried away and runs into places she shouldn't. Yeah, she did...