I got home from a week-long trip to find my kids sleeping on the floor of the hallway. It made me feel uneasy. There were pizza boxes and soda cans all over the house, which was a mess. Mark, my husband, wasn’t in sight, but the sound of computer games drew me to the kids’ room.
I was amazed by what I found. Mark turned their room into a game paradise by adding a big TV, LED lights, and a small fridge. When I saw that our kids were sleeping on the floor while Mark played his video game fantasies, I lost it.
When I told Mark about my worries, he brushed them off and said the kids were happy to sleep outside. But I knew it wasn’t camping; it was just being lazy. I did something very bad: I treated Mark like a child by giving him a sippy cup, a work chart, and Mickey Mouse pancakes.
I made him follow this plan for a week by unplugging his games, telling him bedtime stories, and giving him gold stars for doing his chores. Mark got more angry, but I didn’t give in. I knew he had to put our kids’ needs first.
The last straw was when I called his mother and she came to scold Mark for being bad. Mark said he was sorry and would do better next time after losing. I let him off the hook because I knew he needed help to be a good dad.
I felt good about myself as Mark helped his mom with the dishes. My clever way of getting back at him taught him a good lesson: our kids need a dad, not another friend to play with.
