I Found a Stack of Forks Hidden Under My Son’s Mattress – When I Tried to Take Them Away, He Said His Dad Made Him Do It

I called Brandon on his lunch break. He picked up on the fourth ring, sounding distracted, like I’d caught him mid-thought.

“Hey, everything okay?”

“The forks are gone again.”

“The what?”

“The forks, Brandon. I bought 48 new ones, and there are seven left. Seven.”

“Cece, come on. He’s five. Kids do weird things. Remember when he tried to flush his socks?”

“This is different. He’s hiding them somewhere, and he’s lying about it. He’s never lied to me before.”

“He’s not lying. He’s playing.”

“Then why does he look terrified every time I open a drawer?”

There was a pause.

“Babe, you sound stressed. Have you eaten today? Take a nap while he’s watching cartoons. It’s forks. We’ll figure it out.”

“Don’t tell me I’m stressed.”