“My house, my rules,” my daughter-in-law said as she took back the spare key, expecting me to stay with the children while she and my son went away for the weekend.

left.

It wasn’t their fault I’d canceled. I’d agreed to it because the request sounded urgent and because I kept expecting a replacement nanny to arrive any day. In Daniel’s home office, the stack of printed resumes hadn’t moved in over a week. When I asked about interviews, he said they’d get to it. He came home that evening, tossed his keys on the counter, and asked what was for dinner.

I noticed the small costs too. Milk when they ran out, pizza when Daniel worked late, art supplies for