“But I’m in the middle of—”
“NOW, Mark!”
Grumbling, he carried Tommy to his bed. Watching him, I couldn’t help but feel he was acting like one of the kids—irresponsible and immature.
I tucked Alex in, wiping the dirt from his face. That night, I decided that if Mark wanted to act like a child, I’d treat him like one.
The next morning, while Mark was in the shower, I sneaked into his gaming area and unplugged everything. I then prepared a special breakfast.
When Mark came downstairs, I greeted him with a cheerful smile. “Good morning! I made you breakfast.”
He eyed the plate suspiciously. “Uh, thanks?”
I served Mickey Mouse-shaped pancakes with fruit and coffee in a sippy cup.
“What is this?” he asked, poking at the pancake.
“Your breakfast! And look at what else I made.” I revealed a colorful chore chart on the fridge. “It’s your chore chart! You can earn gold stars for cleaning up, doing dishes, and putting away your toys.”
“Seriously, Sarah?”
“And remember, all screens off by 9 p.m. sharp. No exceptions!” I added.
For the week, I stuck to my plan. I unplugged the Wi-Fi at night, used plastic plates for his meals, and gave him a bedtime story. Every chore earned him a gold star.
By the end of the week, Mark was livid. After being put in the timeout corner for complaining about his screen time, he finally snapped.
“This is ridiculous! I’m a grown man!”
“Oh really? Because grown men don’t make their kids sleep on the floor to play video games,” I countered.
He deflated. “Okay, I get it. I’m sorry.”
I smiled sweetly. “I accept your apology. But just so you know, I called your mom.”
Mark’s face went pale. “You didn’t…”
Right then, a knock at the door. I opened it to reveal Mark’s mother, ready for a showdown.
“Mark!” she scolded. “Did you really let my grandbabies sleep on the floor for video games?”
Mark looked mortified. “Mom, I…”
She turned to me. “Don’t worry, Sarah. I’ll handle this.”
As Linda headed to the kitchen, I caught Mark’s eye. He looked genuinely remorseful.
“Sarah,” he said quietly. “I really messed up. I promise I’ll do better.”
I nodded. “I know. But next time, let’s make sure you’re being the dad they need, not just a playmate.”
He smiled weakly. “Deal.”
With that, Mark headed to help his mom, hopefully having learned his lesson. If not, the timeout corner was always ready and waiting.