The 8-year-old "needing" to "prep" for the next grade over the summer, the "sweet", the whole "discipline" line, "closer to me", and the strange conversational dynamics all around have me seriously questioning whether the LW is a reliable narrator.
It's entirely possible that the cousins are feral and bully anyone smaller, or that the kid is experiencing some kind of abuse there and acting out about it when home; it's also possible that the son is the Golden Child and the 8-year-old is required to junior-mom him or sacrifice everything for him as a matter of course when the mother's in charge. If she's truly being mean, of course she needs to stop, but ... I have questions.
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The 8-year-old "needing" to "prep" for the next grade over the summer, the "sweet", the whole "discipline" line, "closer to me", and the strange conversational dynamics all around have me seriously questioning whether the LW is a reliable narrator.
It's entirely possible that the cousins are feral and bully anyone smaller, or that the kid is experiencing some kind of abuse there and acting out about it when home; it's also possible that the son is the Golden Child and the 8-year-old is required to junior-mom him or sacrifice everything for him as a matter of course when the mother's in charge. If she's truly being mean, of course she needs to stop, but ... I have questions.