“My 7-year-old daughter drew a picture of my husband with another woman and she wrote, ‘I can’t wait for you to be my mommy.'”

My name is Amber, I’m a corporate lawyer and a mother. I never imagined that a simple drawing made with colored pencils by my seven-year-old daughter Mia could change everything in my life. That evening started like it always does. After a long day at work, I rushed to prepare dinner, bathe Mia and put her to bed. When I was alone and cleaning up her drawings, I came across this picture. It was an illustration of a happy family: three people holding hands. But when I looked closer, I noticed that the woman in the drawing was not me. It was a completely different woman in a long dress, with the caption below the picture: “I can’t wait for you to be my mommy!” I froze. What does that mean? Why is Mia drawing a strange woman instead of me? I started thinking about Jack – my husband of ten years. He was always there, supporting me, but this… This made me doubt. At that moment I realized I couldn’t wait until morning to solve this mystery. I woke Mia up and showed her the drawing. “Honey, can you tell me what this is?” I asked, trying to stay calm. Mia blushed when she saw the drawing. She took it from me and held it to her chest. “You shouldn’t have found this!” she cried. “Daddy told me to hide it.” My heart started beating faster. What’s going on? What is Jack hiding? Why is he dragging Mia into this? I couldn’t sleep that night. In the morning I asked Jack what this drawing was and held it in my hands. “What is this?” I asked firmly. “Did you tell Mia to hide it?” Jack turned pale. He looked confused. “It’s not what you think,” he said, rubbing his head nervously. “Let me explain everything to you.”

I fought the anger that was building up, but at the same time my confusion was growing. “You know you have five seconds to tell me the truth,” I replied. He took a deep breath and then said, “Ride with me. I’ll show you something.” I agreed, but I was full of doubts. On the way to school, I thought of everything that this drawing could explain, but I certainly wasn’t ready for what was to come. At school, Jack introduced me to Mia’s teacher, Klara. When she walked in, I felt my heart stop. She was simply incredible – she had long chestnut hair, a bright smile, and an incredibly warm aura. Immediately, I noticed that she looked a lot like the woman in the drawing. My concern only grew. But Klara began to explain. “Mia is worried,” she said in a soft voice. “She feels that you are not paying attention to her, that you are always busy. She draws these pictures to express her feelings.” She gave me several drawings, and in each of them was… her. Instead of me. Mia drew Klara. One of the drawings was labeled: “Papa and Klara.” I couldn’t help but ask a question. “Do you spend time with my daughter outside of school?” I asked, trying to suppress a wave of emotion. “Only at school,” Klara replied.

“Sometimes Mia stays to help clean up. She said she feels like she’s losing you. I tried to comfort her, but if I crossed a line somewhere, I’m sorry.” My heart clenched. I looked at Jack. “You?” I asked. He looked guilty and lost. “I found this drawing last week,” he confessed. “I told Mia that it wasn’t true, that you loved her the most. But I didn’t want to cause you any more pain, so I asked her to hide it. I should have told you about it – I just didn’t know how.” I felt the anger slowly give way to guilt. It had nothing to do with infidelity or boundary violations. It was about Mia, her fears, the feeling of loneliness while I was busy caring for my mother. That evening, as I sat with Mia over the bowls of ice cream, I started the conversation. “Honey, I know I haven’t been there for you lately, and I’m so sorry. Grandma needs help, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to be with you.

You are my life.” Mia looked at me with wide eyes, then hugged me tightly. “I thought you didn’t love me anymore,” she whispered. My heart broke. I hugged her tightly and said, “I love you more than anything in the world, and that will never change.”Since then, I have changed. I reduced my working hours and asked my siblings to help me care for my mother. I started organizing “evenings with Mia” where we baked cookies together, built castles out of toys or just went for walks. I also talked to Klara and thanked her for supporting Mia during difficult times. “You have become an important person for her,” I said. “I will always be grateful to you.” Although life is still far from ideal, it has gotten better. I have learned to ask for help and to give my attention to what is really important. And now, every time Mia picks up her crayons, I know that I will always be there. And she will know that I will always be by her side, no matter what.

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