I broke my arm and asked my husband to help care for our 5-month-old twins, but he refused, telling me, “Moms don’t get sick days. You wanted kids, so you take care of them.” So I decided to teach him a lesson he would never forget.

“Yeah,” I said softly.

Mason looked down at the tiny baby in his arms. “You make this look so easy.”

“You told me I do nothing,” I reminded him softly.

“I know,” he admitted, bowing his head.

“Why?” I asked him directly.

He swallowed hard, his posture dropping. “Because every time I came home, you already knew what they needed, and I didn’t.”

“You could’ve learned,” I pointed out.

“I know.”

“Then why didn’t you?” I asked.

His voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. “Because I felt useless. Every time you asked for help, it just reminded me that I didn’t know what to do.”

“So you wanted me to stop asking,” I realized aloud.

He nodded slowly, looking down as Noah curled a tiny fist tightly into the fabric of his button-down shirt.

“Being scared doesn’t excuse what you said to me,” I told him firmly.