When my kids started returning from visits to their stern grandmother
Eileen, feeling sick, I brushed it off, thinking it was just their immune systems getting a workout. But deep down, I knew something wasn’t right. My husband Nathan, though loving and supportive, always seemed too lenient when it came to his mother, dismissing my concerns with comments like, “It builds character.”
Last Saturday, I dropped off Alex and Ben at Eileen’s, and they were as excited as ever. However, on my drive home, I realized I’d forgotten their bag and had to turn back. When I arrived, I heard Eileen’s voice through an open window, commanding my boys to do push-ups in the freezing cold with nothing but their underwear on. The windows were wide open, and the cold winter air rushed in, chilling their small bodies. My heart sank.