Reaching into the refrigerator, Tinley grabs an apple juice box and pokes the straw in. The little expectant eyes in front of her are enough to make her melt. She can’t ever remember being such a sap toward children, but the pregnancy hormones must be getting the best of her. She hands the juice over, and Luna offers her a giant grin.

She sucks on the straw, gulping down as much as she can in one breath, and with an overly long ahhh, she says, “Thanks, bro.”

Tinley can’t hold in her laughter as she looks down at the little girl standing in front of her, sucking down her juice like nothing out of the ordinary just happened. Where does she come up with this stuff? Never in a million years did Tinley think most of her daily entertainment would come from the mouth of a child.

As Luna dances around the kitchen in her tutu and rain boots, Tinley takes inventory of the food in the fridge and freezer. She’s lacking any kind of creativity today and turns toward the tiny dancer. “Luna, what do you want to eat for lunch?”

She briefly stops her dancing and taps her finger against her chin. She drinks more apple juice while considering her options. “How about a cheese quesadilla?”

For the most part, Tinley has been letting Luna take the lead, and it’s been relatively easy taking care of her, but seeing as she just fed her a quesadilla for dinner the night before, part of her thinks she needs to give her something else to eat. What would Marek say if she fed his child the same thing over and over again while he was gone? That doesn’t seem like the smartest thing to do. So, she tells her, “Why don’t you pick something else? You had a cheese quesadilla for dinner last night.”

“No. I want a cheese quesadilla.”

Tinley sinks to the floor, getting on the Luna’s level, and looks her in the eyes. Luna continues slurping down her juice and tilts her head to the side, watching Tinley’s every move. She feels dumb as she tells herself over and over to be strong and stand her ground. She’s dealing with a little kid, for goodness’ sake. Shaking her head, she says, “I’m sorry you feel that way, but I won’t be making you another quesadilla. How about a tuna fish sandwich?”

Luna sticks her tongue out and spits. “Yuck. Fish is gross. I won’t eat it—you can’t make me!”

Marek never told Tinley what to expect when a tantrum comes, and she really hopes that isn’t where this little conversation is going. As it is, her legs are starting to shake from the crouched position she’s currently taken up, and she doesn’t know how much longer she can last. She racks her brain trying to think of any other options she could feed Luna, but her mind comes up blank. She doesn’t want to give in so easily, because what will that say about her own parenting style when she becomes one herself? She doesn’t know who she’s trying to prove something to at this point—herself, Marek, or Luna—but she refuses to give in.

“I understand what you’re asking for Luna, but I think you should try something else today. What else can I make for you?”

Her face reddens as she finishes off her juice and throws it to the floor. Opening her mouth, Luna lets out a loud scream and stomps her foot. “Just give me what I want! You’re stupid and I can’t handle it.”

This is not going to go well at all, she can already feel it, but now that it’s turned into such a big ordeal and Luna is throwing a fit, she feels the need to be firm. “Luna, I need you to pick up that juice box right now and throw it away in the trash can. It’s not okay for you to have tantrums or throw garbage on the floor. And name calling is certainly never acceptable.

“No, you pick it up.”

Tinley takes a deep breath in and slowly lets it out. She refuses to let her feelings show through, but she can feel herself relenting quickly. Never in her life has she understood why people get mad at their children. She once witnessed a woman screaming at her young child in the grocery store and all she could think to herself was that some people just shouldn’t become parents, but she somewhat understands it now. If she weren’t pregnant, she would definitely become one of those moms hiding in the pantry drinking from a bottle of wine.

“You’re going to jail.”

Well, that’s a first one for sure. Then again, she’s been experiencing a lot of firsts while watching Luna. Is this child for real? Did she really just tell her she’s going to jail? “For not making you what you want to eat? That means I’m going to jail?”

The smile on the little girl’s face is so menacing as she replies, “Yep, and when you go to jail, that means I get to do whatever I want. You can’t tell me what to do if you’re gone.””

“But won’t you be sad because I’ll be gone and you won’t get to see me again?”

Luna shrugs, and Tinley is shocked. This little girl is cold. “If you don’t make me what I want then I’ll scream at you.”

Don’t back down. Don’t back down. She can feel her resolve start to weaken, but she won’t let herself break at the demand of this tiny dictator. She’s got this. She could go all day with this back and forth.

Luna opens her mouth, and that’s all it takes. She screams as loud as she possibly can and doesn’t show any sign of giving up. Tinley tries to ignore it, but the high-pitched screaming makes her ears start to ring and she can’t stand it any longer.

“Fine! I’ll make you the cheese quesadilla. Just go play with your toys while I make your food.” Luna gets the biggest smile on her face and twirls as she dances out of the kitchen. Why the hell did she try to go to battle with a child in the first place? Obviously, she has a lot to learn.