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When a Child’s Drawing Reveals Unspoken Feelings

The past year has been incredibly overwhelming for me. Juggling a high-pressure job as a corporate lawyer while making regular trips to the hospital for my mother’s treatment left me with little time for anything else. The mounting medical bills for my mother forced me to work longer hours just to stay afloat.

Thankfully, my husband Jake stepped up in ways I could never have imagined—handling the cleaning, cooking, and helping our daughter Mia with her schoolwork. Despite all this support, I often ended up coming home late, bone-tired, with sleep being the only thing on my mind.


Then, one night after tucking Mia into bed, I started tidying up her things only to stumble upon something unexpected. There, under the table, was a drawing that caught my eye. At first glance, it seemed like an innocent family portrait, but then I noticed something unusual. While the man and the little girl were undoubtedly Jake and Mia, the woman in the picture wasn’t me. She had long brown hair and wore a blue dress, with a message at the bottom saying, “I can’t wait for you to be my mom.” The innocence in Mia’s handwriting left me breathless.

Questions raced through my mind. Who was this other woman? When morning came, I was eager to talk to Mia. Her eyes blinked open as I nudged her awake. Her reaction was not what I expected—she snatched the drawing and hugged it close to her chest, whispering that I wasn’t supposed to see it and that her daddy had told her to hide it better.

This revelation left me stunned and anxious. What was happening at home while I was chained to my desk at work? Could Jake be involved with someone else?

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Determined to find out the truth, I confronted Jake that morning. “Jack,” I asked, “did you know about this drawing? Mia said you told her to keep it from me. Who’s this woman?”

Jake calmly suggested I needed to understand what was going on in Mia’s mind. His words puzzled me further, but he asked me to trust him and suggested we take a drive. Hesitant but willing, I followed his lead.

We arrived at Mia’s school, where Jake requested to see her teacher, Claire. As Claire appeared, I realized she was indeed the woman Mia had drawn. Deep down, I felt a pang of sadness as Mia seemed to fantasize about having Claire as her mother.

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In the privacy of the teacher’s office, Claire shared what Mia had confided in her. She explained that Mia was feeling neglected and assumed that I no longer loved her due to my absence. To my daughter, Claire seemed like the comforting presence she missed at home.

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