Scrubs and Strollers

27

Miranda stepped through the door, her weary eyes scanned the room, taking in the sight of Tuck and Delilah sitting side by side in solemn silence. Concern flickered in her gaze as she noticed the unusual quietness that hung in the air.

"Hey, sweethearts," she greeted them softly, setting her bag down by the door. "What's going on? Why are you two so quiet?"

"Tuck can't watch TV or his tablet so I won't either," Delilah replied

"Is this about what happened at school?" She asked

"Yes" Tuck nodded

"I see" She tapped her chin "Where's your father"

"In the kitchen" Delilah pointed
Miranda made her way into the kitchen, she found Ben preparing dinner, a thoughtful expression on his face. Sensing her presence, he turned to her with a warm smile.

"Hey, baby," Ben greeted her, setting down the knife he had been using to chop vegetables. "How was your day?"

Miranda returned his smile, though her thoughts were preoccupied with Tuck's recent behavior. "It was okay," she replied, her voice tinged with concern. "But Tuck told me about losing his privileges. I think we need to talk about how we're handling his punishment."

Ben nodded, his expression serious. "I agree. I know Tuck was trying to defend Delilah, but hitting isn't acceptable behavior. We need to make sure he understands the seriousness of what he did."

Miranda sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I just don't want Tuck to feel like he's being punished too harshly. He's only five, after all"

"It's just no TV and no tablet for a week. It's not like I put him in solitary confinement" Ben looked at her

"Miranda's brows knit together in concern. "Ben, I'm not sure that's the right approach. Tuck was just trying to protect Delilah. He was defending his sister."

"I know, Miranda. And I agree that Tuck's intentions were good. But hitting isn't the right way to handle things, and he needs to understand that there are consequences for his actions."

"Did you talk with him"

"I did" He nodded

"And did he understand the conversation? Because when I talked to him, he understood"

"Yes, Miranda but you asked me to talk to him for a reason"

"To be a unified front. I wanted you to back me up. To talk to him. Where did you hear me say punish him"

"Miranda," Ben began gently, "I know you didn't explicitly tell me to punish Tuck, but you did ask me to talk to him about what happened. And I felt that taking away his privileges was a way to reinforce the seriousness of his actions."

Miranda sighed, shaking her head slightly. "I understand that, Ben. But, Tuck was trying to protect his sister, and while hitting isn't the right response, I think we should focus on teaching him about more constructive ways to handle conflict. Taking away his things doesn't accomplish that. I didn't tell you to punish my son without talking to me"

He took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions in check as he responded. "Next time then, handle your son, and leave me out of it" Ben's voice was tinged with a mixture of hurt and resentment as he spoke, and he turned his back towards Miranda.

Miranda then realized the impact of her words. She had unintentionally caused pain to the man who had been a father figure to Tuck since he was a baby. She approached Ben, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, but he remained focused on his cooking, ignoring her.