Eddie married Camila, who had a seven-year-old son named David. But raising a child was exhausting. He once fell asleep while playing hide-and-seek, and his stepson was nowhere to be seen in the morning.
One of Eddie’s friends introduced him to Camila at a house gathering. They hit it off immediately and started dating. But several dates later, she told him about her son, David. At first, he wasn’t sure about dating a single mother.
But Camila was patient with him, and when he eventually met David, everything seemed fine. So when their relationship became serious, they decided to get married. However, everything changed once they moved in together.
Eddie didn’t realize how hard it would be to raise a child. David wanted his constant attention because his biological father had never been in the picture. He sympathized with the kid but couldn’t deny that the boy was annoying sometimes. Regardless, he tried his best.
Camila was a good mother, except for coddling the kid too much, in his opinion. And after a few months, Eddie realized that David was becoming a bit too spoiled. He thought he should discuss this issue with his wife.
“Camila, I noticed that you never tell him ‘no.’ It’s important for a kid to have structure,” Eddie commented one day.
“I don’t like using that word with him. I always feel so guilty that he doesn’t have a father, and David’s pretty smart,” Camila replied.
“Yes, David is smart, which is how he has manipulated you into many things. This needs to stop before he becomes a teenager and gets worse,” Eddie explained.
“I know. It’s just hard, you know,” Camila said apologetically.
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“He can’t throw tantrums, and he needs to understand that adults have other responsibilities. We can’t always play with him,” he continued.
“Ok, I’ll try my best, but can you help me too?” she asked. Eddie agreed because he was David’s stepfather and the only male influence the kid had. He did his best over the next few weeks, although David often still misbehaved.
Eddie sent him to his room to cool off several times, and the kid seemed to learn from his minor punishments. At least now, he and Camila could have some time to themselves. But Eddie still wondered what it would be like with just the two of them.
Things seemed to have settled, but one day, Camila had to go on a business trip. “I don’t want to go and leave you guys alone for a whole weekend, but it’s an important conference in New York. It’s a big opportunity,” his wife explained.
“Well, it’s not that far...
