He’s provided well for our family and spends lots of time at the office. This has given me the freedom to be a stay-at-home mother and raise the five beautiful daughters we already share.But lately, his dreams of having a son “to carry on the family name” have turned into demands. And those demands have morphed into threats!“Lisa, we NEED to have a sixth child,” he said one night after dinner. His tone was serious, almost cold. “Danny, we already have FIVE daughters. You want me to keep having babies until we get a son?” I replied, feeling the tension rise. “But aren’t children a blessing to you? Is it really that hard?” His words stung. We’ve had this argument many times before, but this time it felt different. It felt like an ultimatum. We continued going round in circles with neither of us willing to relent on their choices.
Our argument escalated to the point where he hinted that he might consider DIVORCING me if I refused to have a son for him! “Are you saying you’d leave me if I don’t give you a son?” I asked, my voice trembling. “I didn’t say THAT,” he muttered, looking away. But the implication was clear. He was willing to consider divorce if I didn’t follow HIS wishes. That was the end of our argument as we went our separate ways in preparation for bed. That night, I lay awake, thinking about our conversation. How could he be so dismissive of the life we’d built together? Our daughters are amazing, each one unique and full of life. I couldn’t imagine our family any other way. I needed to make him understand what he was asking of me, of us. And you know what? Before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep, I decided on a cunning way to SHOW him EXACTLY what it meant to raise five children ALONE!The very next day, I woke up extra early while everyone was still fast asleep. I packed a bag and drove to my late mother’s old country house. I turned off my phone’s ringer and ignored all his calls and texts.
After preparing myself breakfast and a hot cup of coffee, I settled in to watch my favorite show for the day: “The Drama That Unfolds When You Leave Your Husband at Home Alone with Five Children.” I watched everything in real-time through the surveillance cameras we had installed at home. Danny was in for a RUDE awakening! The minute he woke up, he started getting ready for work. But he stopped his preparations when he heard the children causing a ruckus. “Where’s your mother and why aren’t y’all dressed and ready for breakfast?” he asked our rascals. My babies made me proud when they ignored him and continued jumping on beds and playing. My husband looked for me while calling my name before he realized I wasn’t home. He then started calling me and I watched the phone call come through. “What the hell, Lisa,” he said in frustration before giving up on the sixth missed call.
He couldn’t leave for work because he couldn’t leave our young daughters alone. The first morning was HILARIOUS and a COMPLETE disaster! He tried to make breakfast and ended up burning the toast and spilling orange juice EVERYWHERE! The kids were running around, refusing to get dressed. He was completely overwhelmed and I was enjoying every moment!“Emma, stop running! Jessica, put your shoes on!” I could hear him shouting, his voice frazzled. “Daddy, I don’t like this cereal!” Emily whined, pushing her bowl away. “Then WHAT do you WANT?” he asked, exasperated. “I want pancakes!” she demanded. Danny sighed, rubbing his temples. “Fine, I’ll make pancakes.” Little Jessica, feeling left out, chipped in saying, “I want scrambled eggs and cake!” Emma, not one to be left out, demanded, “Waffles and fresh cream, please!” If his temples were aching before, I was SURE they were now THROBBING! Throughout the day, the chaos only grew! He tried to help them with their online school, but they kept getting distracted and running off! “Jessica, focus on your math homework,” he pleaded. “But I don’t understand it, Daddy!” she cried. He sat beside her, staring at the screen. “Okay, let’s figure it out together.” Between helping the children, a call from work came through.Judging from the conversation and Danny’s profuse apologies, he’d forgotten to report himself as absent for the day! When it came time for lunch, my husband couldn’t figure out what our children liked to eat. So they ended up having a picnic of random snacks. “Can we have peanut butter and jelly?” Emma asked. “I’m not sure we have any,” he replied, searching the pantry.
“How about just jelly?” she suggested. I must admit, it was sad seeing Danny suffer like this but it was absolutely funny and worth it!The house was a MESS, with toys everywhere, and he looked like he was about to lose it! “Why is there Play-Doh on the carpet?” he groaned. “I don’t know, ask Emily,” Jessica replied. Hearing her name, Emily started listing off all the reasons why she wasn’t the culprit! “I only play with purple and blue Play-Doh. I wasn’t sitting on the carpet, I only ran a bit on it in one spot. I…” My husband hilariously cut her off before she could continue, “Okay, Emily! Enough, I got it! Can you PLEASE just remove it for Daddy?” In the evening, the girls wanted to play dress-up, and Danny HAD to take part! They made him wear a tiara and feather boa while they pretended he was a princess!“Daddy, you look SO pretty!” Emily giggled. “This is ridiculous,” he muttered, but he smiled at their joy. My husband looked out of place and so exhausted. Bedtime was the FINAL straw! They REFUSED to go to bed, demanded stories, and kept sneaking out of their rooms! MAN was I proud!“Just one more story, Daddy,” Emma begged.“Alright, but THEN it’s REALLY time for bed,” he agreed, his patience wearing thin. By the end of the second day, Danny was visibly on the verge of a breakdown! He started sending me desperate messages, begging me to come back and help.
“My angel, please, I can’t do this alone,” he texted. He even sent a video of himself, on his knees, asking for forgiveness. “I’m sorry, my love. Please come home. I need you.” What made the clip even funnier was that he took it in our locked bathroom while the girls DEMANDED he come out and play! I decided it was time to go home. When I walked in, Danny was the first to rush to me, looking more relieved than I had ever seen him! “I am so sorry,” he said. “I won’t pressure you about having a son anymore.” He held me so tight I almost couldn’t breathe! “I realize now how much you do, and I promise to spend more time with the family,” he vowed. I was touched.
“If you truly promise to spend more time with us and help out more, we can discuss the POSSIBILITY of a sixth child,” I said. He nodded vigorously. “I promise, I swear. Please, just don’t ever leave me alone with them for that long again!” We both laughed and from that day on, he kept his promise. He became more involved with our family, appreciating all the hard work that went into raising the children we already had.Our lives began to change for the better. Danny started coming home early from work and even worked from home at times, determined to be more present. He helped with homework, attended school events, and took over bedtime duties! My once-misled husband even learned how to braid hair, much to the delight of our daughters! “Look, Mommy! Daddy braided my hair!” Jessica beamed one morning. “You did a great job, darling,” I praised. One Saturday morning, as we sat around the breakfast table, Danny looked at me with a soft smile.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “Maybe it’s not about having a son. Perhaps it’s about cherishing the family we have.” I smiled back, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted, Danny.” We continued our breakfast, talking and laughing, the tension of the past few weeks melting away. It was in those simple moments, surrounded by our daughters, that we found our true happiness. Months went by, and my husband never brought up the idea of having a sixth child again. He was a changed man, more involved and connected with our family than ever before. The girls adored him, and our home was filled with joy and laughter.“Daddy, will you come to my dance recital?” Emily asked one day. “OF COURSE, sweetheart. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he promised. And he kept his promise! He was there for every recital, every soccer game, every school play. Our daughters flourished under his newfound attention and love. One evening, as we watched our daughters play in the yard, Danny took my hand. “Thank you, Lisa,” he said softly.
“For everything.” I squeezed his hand, feeling tears well up in my eyes. “Thank you for understanding,” I replied. Our journey wasn’t easy, but it brought us closer together. My husband learned to appreciate the family he had. And I found the strength to stand up for myself and our daughters. We were stronger than ever, ready to face whatever challenges life threw our way. And as we sat there, watching our daughters chase fireflies under the setting sun, I knew we had found our happily ever after.
