"Good morning Gabe," Amy said to him

"I'm not talking to you," Gabe said, "I told you that three days ago. I told you that yesterday and I'm telling you again today. I'm not talking to you."

"Okay you do realize that in saying you're not talking to me you are in fact talking to me," Amy pointed out.

"Hey Gabe," Bob said coming into the kitchen, "I'm making pancakes."

"Oh yes! I LOVE pancakes," Gabe said.
He and Bob had been close lately.

"Any special kind of topping?"

"Whipped cream," Gabe said.

"Always a favorite," Bob said, "Come on. Go wash up and then we'll go to the toy store. I kind of feel like getting you the new DSI system."

"AWESOME," Gabe said, "YOU'RE SERIOUSLY THE BEST!"

Amy sighed.

"You okay mom," Teddy asked.

"I'm confused," Amy said, "Gabe seems to still be mad at me even 4 days later."

"Well I can understand it," Teddy said.

"Okay then maybe you can explain it to me," Amy replied.

"Here's the problem," Teddy said, "Your solution to misbehavior is to punish the offender."

"So what's the problem," Amy asked again.

"Mom the problem is that Gabe feels like you don't understand what he's going through"

"Oh please. He's eight; what can an eight year old be going through?"

"For the first seven years of his life he was the baby of the family. He was your pride and joy. He could do no wrong. Then all of a sudden baby shows up and now baby is in his mind taking away mommy and daddy's love and time and affection. In the same way she's taking away big brother and big sister's time and affection."

"I love Gabe just as much as I did before Charlie was born."

"You know that and I know that but all Gabe knows is that his parents are too busy for him and gets mad at him when he tries to express what he's feeling."

"He doesn't express it the right way," Amy said, "He could have seriously hurt Charlie."

"I'm not arguing that part," Teddy said, "You're 100 percent right but the issue here is a child. You're an adult. It's the same thing with other types of punishment. All punishment does is cause resentment. It doesn't teach right from wrong."

"Well it's how I grew up and I'm fine," Amy said.

"Why is fine the measuring stick," Teddy said, "I personally want better then fine for my children. I want my kids to thrive."

"Yes well so do I," Amy said, "But when you don't know anything else you do what you know."

At the toy store Bob took an opportunity to talk with Gabe.

"You know I love you right buddy?"

"Of course," Gabe said.

"Good. Your mom loves you too."
Gabe laughed.

"That's funny," he said.

"No it's not," Bob said, "Look your mom isn't perfect. Nobody is. But your mother does love you a lot."

"Really? If she loves me so much why did she sleep through my school play? If she loves you why did she refuse to take me to soccer practice last week. If she loves me why did she act the way she did a few days ago. She didn't hurt me. She hurt my feelings."

"Well hurting your feeling is hurting you," Bob said, "But the issue is that in your mother's mind you're a big boy and that you should be able to understand that she was tired after staying up with Charlie all night and that's why she slept through your school play. She feels you should be able to make allowance for that and that you should understand your sister isn't as able to take care of herself as you are."

"Sometimes I feel like I'm the odd one out," Gabe admitted, "You don't understand the feeling."

"I understand the feeling plenty," Bob said, "You know your mother and I never told you this but PJ is not our first child."

"What? Are you kidding?"

"No. I wish I were."
Bob opened his wallet and pulled a picture out to show Gabe. It was a little girl who looked a lot like Gabe. She had dark brown hair and curly at that.

"That was Anna"he told Gabe.

"Come on," Amy said to Teddy, "PJ's watching Charlie. Let's go shopping."

"What are we going shopping for?"

"I thought about what you said and I realized I have been pretty hard on Gabe lately. I slept through his school play. I couldn't take him to soccer practice because I had nobody to babysit Charlie. I expected him to have the maturity of a 13 year old or older."

"So you're going to get him something to make up for it?"

"Not to make up for it so much as a start. But I'm not going to push it because I don't want him to think that he can take advantage but I have a few ideas."
Teddy smiled.

"Good for you mom," she said.

"She got sick with something called meningitis and she was in the hospital for awhile before she passed away."
Gabe felt sick to his stomach. Now it all made sense to him.

"Mom probably thought that I was going to accidentally hurt Charlie so bad that she would become another Anna," he said softly.

"Gabe," Bob said, "It was wrong for you to hit Charlie."

"I know," Gabe said.

"I think in a way I owe you an apology too. When I got mad at you for losing Charlie at the park that was wrong of me."

"Dad I had forgotten about that a long time ago," Gabe said, "That was like a year ago or more. Besides you more then made up for it with SUPER ADVENTURELAND."

"You really love SUPER ADVENTURELAND don't you," Bob asked.

"Why? Are we going," Gabe asked.

"Maybe we'll go next month," Bob suggested.

"AWESOME," Gabe exclaimed.
He paused.

"Dad," he asked, "What was Anna like?"

"She was a lot like all of us," Bob said, "She was smart like Teddy. She was happy like Charlie. She was sensitive like your mom. She was sweet like PJ. She was fun like you."

"Mom's sensitive," Gabe asked, "I know she's dramatic but I didn't think she was sensitive."

"On rough days your mother is extremely sensitive," Bob said.

"She always seems so calm and under control," Gabe said.
Bob smiled.

"That's what she wants you to think," he said, "But your mother is not always so in control. Remember last month?"

"She seemed a little moody but I figured it was her time of the month," Gabe said.

"I bet sometimes you feel like you're the only one who struggles right," Bob asked Gabe.

"Well... yes"

"I bet you feel like nobody understands"

"GOD YES," Gabe said.

"Well your mom and I and PJ have both been through all of the same things you went through."

"Did Anna?"

"Anna was like Teddy in that she was a goody-goody and she was so sensitive that you had to be very careful about the way you acted around her."

"I would hate to be that sensitive," Gabe said, "But there are definitely benefits to being like that."

"There are disadvantages to it too," Bob said, "Sensitive people are more vulnerable so they need to be looked after more closely which would get on your nerves," he added jokingly.

Gabe and Bob got back about 7 o'clock.

"Did you have a good time," Amy asked.

"Yeah," Gabe said, "Mom I'm sorry for being so mean lately. I've been feeling kind of jealous of Charlie."

"Honey I've been excepting a little too much from you," Amy replied, "You're a big boy now but you're still only eight years old. I have a surprise for you. Tomorrow you're not going to school"

"I'm not?"

"No," Amy said, "You're going to SUPER ADVENTURELAND tomorrow. Well actually we have gotten a two day pass to SUPER ADVENTURELAND. But let me explain a few things. You are to stay with me the whole time. You are to not argue and you are to understand that this is not a free pass for you to act wild. Are we clear on that?"

"Of course," Gabe said
Everything was right in the Duncan household once more.