Chapter 235
The supermarket was big, and they unknowingly shopped for over an hour. When they returned home, it was nearly dark. Grace seemed at a loss seeing them with groceries. Smiling, Hayden told her to take a rest. She wondered to herself, ‘Will my job be at risk now that my employer has a son- in–law?‘ Despite her unease, Grace left the kitchen.
Hayden skillfully began preparing the ingredients, while Stacey followed closely and diligently learned. Even Jeremy, Lillian, and Kevin gathered around, eager to watch the process. An hour and a half later, the dinner was ready. The meal was beautifully presented, leaving Grace astonished by Hayden’s skill. She pondered, ‘Mr. Hoggard is an exceptional cook. Am I really at risk of losing my job? Perhaps I should start practicing more and refine my plating skills. Her anxiety grew as she considered this. The job with the Carter family was well–compensated and involved less work, with the added benefit of having a kind employer. Having been with them for many years, she had always been treated well. Grace knew she couldn’t afford to lose such a desirable position easily. When Lillian and Kevin saw the delicious food prepared by Hayden, they gasped in awe, having never seen anything like it before. “How pretty!”
“The food Daddy made looks amazing!” Lillian and Kevin each said a sentence, praising Hayden. Jeremy stood to the side, listening. He nodded enthusiastically, saying, “Yes!” He agreed with Lillian and Kevin’s praise and took pride in the fact that Hayden’s food was both appealing and delicious. Jeremy thought that Becky, Lillian, and Kevin would surely like them even more after seeing this.
“Let’s all take our seats and eat,” Stacey stated with a smile. Turning to Hayden, she added thoughtfully, “Thank you for all your hard work.”
Hayden chuckled lightly. “You’ve worked hard too.”
After everyone had finished eating, Stacey left the dirty dishes to Grace. She asked Gwen and Marie to quickly tidy up the three children, then took them to the living room to watch cartoons with Hayden. Unfortunately, Lillian and Kevin had different tastes in cartoons and soon began to argue over which one to watch. Stacey, her head throbbing from the commotion, glanced at the well- behaved Jeremy before heading upstairs. She retrieved a piece of paper from her study and made it into three slips. Returning downstairs, she suggested, “Lily, Kev, and Jeremy, let’s draw lots. The one who picks the slip with the dot will choose what we watch tonight.”
Lillian and Kevin, who were on the verge of fighting, immediately turned their attention to Stacey. Jeremy also watched with curiosity. Stacey pulled out a slip of paper, unfolded it, and showed it to them. “This slip has a dot. The person who draws it gets to choose what we watch tonight.”
Lillian and Kevin didn’t fully grasp what this meant but Stacey wasn’t worried. Children picked things up quickly. After playing the game a few times, they would soon grasp the concept. Stacey combined all the slips and mixed them up, then had the three of them draw lots together. Jeremy, being three years old, was familiar with the rules of drawing lots. He looked at Becky as he reached for a slip of paper. Lillian and Kevin hurriedly stretched out their hands to take one each. Moments later, they opened their slips. Kevin had drawn the winning slip with the dot. “I won!” Kevin immediately shouted, thrilled.
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Hayden chucked and stated, “Yes. Kev won, so the remote control belongs to him tonight.”
Lillian and Kevin did not fully grasp the meaning of winning the draw initially, but they were starting to understand it slowly. Lillian wanted to play shameless, and she said with a hint of defiance, “No, I want to change the channel. I want to watch “The Fairy Princess‘!”
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“No. I want to watch “The Ugly Duckling!” Kevin shouted back. Stacey firmly handed the remote to Kevin. She then turned to Lillian and patiently explained the rules once more, emphasizing that the outcome of the draw determined who would pick the show. Despite Stacey’s efforts, Lillian didn’t listen to her explanation. A moment later, she pouted and burst out crying. Jeremy, seeing Lillian’s distress, became flustered. He stood up, hands at his sides, wanting to comfort Lillian but unsure how to help. Hayden, though initially taken aback, understood that it was normal for young children to cry and fuss. He had encountered similar situations with Jeremy himself. There had been times when Jeremy had misbehaved, leading to him being hit and crying out loudly.
Kevin’s hand holding the remote suddenly wavered. After a moment of hesitation, he approached Lillian, still clutching the remote, and was about to hand it over to her. Stacey promptly stopped Kevin, resolutely placing the remote back in his hand. She understood that it was normal for young children to quarrel and fuss. However, Stacey was aware that giving in to a child’s tantrums could lead to undesirable behavior. It would only spoil them,
eaching them that they could get whatever they wanted simply by crying. Lillian continued to struggle, trying to grab the remote. Stacey immediately held Lillian and explained, “Lily, we have scussed this before. You, Jeremy, and Kev all drew lots together. The one who wins the draw gets to choose their favorite TV show. Remember?”
“I don’t want to! I want to watch ‘The Fairy Princess!” Lillian cried heart–wrenchingly.
“But there is only one TV,” Stacey stated. It was not that the Carter family could not afford to buy another TV or that they could not use other devices like tablets or smartphones to show Lillian “The Fairy Princess.” The real issue was not about which channel Lillian should watch but about teaching her to respect rules. Once rules were established, it was important to follow them. This didn’t only apply to Lillian. If Lillian won next time, Stacey wouldn’t indulge Kevin if he threw a tantrum next time. Every child needed to learn to respect the rules they had all agreed upon.
“Let me talk to her,” Hayden uttered, seeing Stacey struggle to calm Lillian. Stacey was slightly surprised and turned to look at him. Hayden reached out and gently picked up Lillian. “Stacey, you stay with Jeremy and Kev downstairs. I will take Lily upstairs to talk.”
Stacey was stunned and then nodded. “Okay.”
Hayden nodded and carried Lillian upstairs. She was still crying, and when she realized he was taking her out of the living room, she resisted. Lillian pushed and kicked, struggling to get down from his arms. She thought, ‘I want to go back to the living room to watch ‘The Fairy Princess‘!‘
“Lily,” Hayden called her name softly in a doting tone.
When Lillian heard him calling her, she paused slightly. She looked at Hayden, feeling aggrieved, and her tears flowed even faster. She sobbed. “Daddy, I want to watch ‘The Fairy Princess‘! I want to watch ‘The Fairy Princess‘!”
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Hayden kissed her forehead gently and said, “Yes. Lily, you’re a good girl. Of course, you can watch “The Fairy Princess,‘ but it’s not right now.”
Lillian’s crying subsided somewhat after Hayden praised her for being a good girl and told her she could watch “The Fairy Princess.” She mused, ‘But Daddy said not right now?‘ Lillian looked at him in confusion and asked, “When can I watch it then?”