Chapter 8 - MIA'S DRAWING
A child specialist interviewed Mia.
No courtroom.
No parent in the room.
Mia drew:
Mommy.
Daddy.
Her room.
Grandma.
Grandma was outside the house.
The specialist asked:
“Why is Grandma outside?”
Mia answered:
“Daddy said she can’t come.”
“Do you want her inside?”
Mia thought.
“Not if she’s mad.”
Simple.
Then:
“What happens when Grandma gets mad?”
“She squeezes.”
“Where?”
Mia pointed to her arm.
“Does she hit?”
Mia nodded once.
“Lots?”
Mia shook her head.
“Two.”
Two times total?
Maybe.
Three-year-old counting was unreliable.
The specialist did not overstate.
Then Mia said:
“Grandma says Mommy takes me away.”
That sentence mattered.
“Where does Mommy take you?”
“Boston.”
Paula went cold when she heard later.
They had never told Mia Boston was definite.
Linda had.
Likely repeatedly.
The child was already carrying the adult relocation conflict.
Rachel said:
“This is no longer just visitation.”
It was emotional boundary crossing.
May you like
Still not enough for permanent cutoff automatically.
But enough for caution.
