Friday, January 31, 2003:
The boys are fighting during the blessing of the food. I reach over and squeeze Spence’s leg. I run to pick up Caitlin at school, then return to find an outbreak of distraughtness. Matt looks stricken. “Dad. Can I talk to you?” As I approach and reach out my hand his face folds and bursts into tears. “Spence is running away!” On the floor there is a shoebox within which he’s packed a very neatly folded blanket, a journal, a detective notebook, a gel pen and a police stick.
Spence comes out and says very feelingly, “Dad, you ruined my day!” Poor Matt is visibly at a loss, or rather looking bereaved at the prospect of loss. He loves his brother. Fortunately we are able to calm ourselves down. We talk about rules, parental discipline, apologizing and forgiving.