Story 2:
My boss is a single father of three girls. I once asked him why he hired me as a live-in nanny when he had never even had a regular nanny before. He told me that he made the decision after his oldest daughter, who was only ten and not yet getting her period, was causing middle school drama. He realized that he had no idea how to handle it without being completely insensitive to her feelings. He knew that dealing with girl drama was completely out of his abilities because he had never had to deal with it before and didn’t understand why it was such a big deal. He also knew that all three of his daughters would need someone like that.
Story 3:
My 12-year-old daughter got her period during her first ballet class. She called me from the locker room, crying, confused, and scared. I rushed over, my heart pounding. When I arrived, however, the teacher frowned and snapped, “Why are you here? Why didn’t her mother come?” I paused, steadying my voice. “She doesn’t have her mom. She has me.” Later, in the car, she reached for my hand and whispered, “Thanks for coming, Dad.” I just smiled and held her hand a little tighter.
