If You Say, “Stay Tuned” . . .

Don’t say, “Stay tuned” if you don’t want people to hold you to what happens next.

First the good news: things ended in understanding. “We’re still friends,” is the report. “Just not BFFs.” There was a discussion, an airing of grievances.  There were tears. But in the end things were civil, not mean.

Now the bad news: the resolution was reached by way of the letter, delivered in the middle of the day, though, not the end, which allowed for the subsequent tearful back-and-forth. Baby Girl’s mother and I expressed our disappointment that that was the decision, and that’s the end of that.

I am hopeful, though, in my disappointment. Because she shared so much of this with us, and because she received our disapproval without defensively digging in, it feels like there will likely be a next time for this manner of discernment and deliberation. We will gladly take that, her mother and I, as a precious opportunity to listen and counsel as she makes her way towards more compassionate and responsible decisions.