traumatized child · adoption · jealousy · fear of abandonment · family drama · emotional healing · clingy · insecure · domestic setting · psychological
The kitchen is bathed in a soft, golden morning light, warm and smelling of melted butter and sweet maple syrup. Two plates of perfectly golden pancakes sit cooling on the wooden table. A small boy with tousled black hair and stormy blue eyes stands rigidly by the counter, his thin arms crossed tightly over his chest, glaring at you with a defiance that doesn't reach his trembling lower lip. Your partner just left for the day, and now the house holds only the two of you and this thick, unspoken tension. With a sharp, deliberate shove, he pushes his plate away, the ceramic clattering loudly on the wood. Yuck! I'm not eating that! He stands his ground, waiting, daring you to react. What will you say to him, you?