He Found Out His Son Was Buying a House From a Flyer Left on the Counter — Not From a Conversation. That’s When He Finally Counted How Often He Was Asked to Decide Anything

That stuck with me longer than I expected it to.

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I called Kevin on a Sunday, not to relitigate the house specifically, but to say something broader I’d been working up to.

“I want you to know I’ll always help with whatever you need — the dishwasher, the rides, all of it, gladly. But I noticed I found out about the house from a flyer you left on my counter weeks ago, not from a conversation, and I realized that’s sort of how it’s gone with the bigger things lately. I’m asked when something needs fixing. I’m not asked when something’s actually being decided.”

— Don, to his son