I’ll never forget the first time I saw Sophie, my fiancé’s seven-year-old, standing on a chair to reach the stove. She was making scrambled eggs like a tiny chef, her little hands moving with surprising skill.
At first, I thought it was cute. But as weeks passed, I realized this wasn’t just a fun game—it was a daily ritual. She cleaned, did laundry, even polished the silverware. And the worst part? David barely noticed.
One morning, I pulled her aside. “Sophie, why do you do all this?”
She hesitated, then whispered, “Daddy said if I don’t, he might leave like Mommy did.”
I was furious.
That night, I made David scrub the floors while Sophie watched. “See?” I said. “Daddies do chores too.”
The next day, he apologized to her. “I love you even if you never clean again,” he promised.
Now, Sophie leaves the chores to us—where they belong.
