✅ Over Protected

5. Sarah Tests Boundaries

We were eating breakfast again. This time, we were having fresh fruit and yoghurt because Mum had got some on special offer. It made a nice change, but I wasn't sure if there were actually any health benefits given how sweet it tasted. I was stirring my bowl around a bit, having crushed some of the berries with my spoon to mix in, but it seemed Sarah had already finished hers. She'd come home pretty late the night before, and I wondered if she had taken up some new activity. She certainly seemed to be in a rush to go out.

"In a rush to go out?" Mum asked. "Is there, by any chance, a reason that you don't want to talk to me this morning?"

"No, no. Not at all. I just... I'm worried about Sylvie. She's having a tough time with her uncle, and I don't want her to be hanging around on her own before school. Her dad's organising the funeral, and... You know how it is."

"Laudable. But I have to ask. So if you want to see your friend, I'd advise you to answer quickly. What happened last night, and why haven't you told me?"

I stared intently at my bowl while I ate now. I'd heard enough of these conversations before. When Sarah had gone somewhere without telling Mum; or when she'd decided to stay over with a friend we'd never heard of before. Or when she listened to music that wasn't suitable for kids, or got a hoodie with a rude slogan. Sarah never liked to do what she was supposed to, and Mum always had to draw the truth out of her. I wondered what it could have been this time.

"Nothing happened!" she said, drawing the word out like she was begging for it to be true. "Sylvie was upset, and her family were all busy. We just wanted to keep her company."

"And after that?"

"Okay, okay! I had some hard cider. All her family were around, but nobody wanted to talk to her, and it just made her feel more alone. We knew she wasn't coping, and we couldn't leave her alone. Okay? She took a bottle from the fridge, and we went with her to make sure she was okay. It wasn't like... drinking drinking. I didn't want her to be out there on her own, and I didn't want her to feel like I'm judging her. I only..."

Eventually the words trailed off into silence. This time there was no angry defiance in her voice, just the understanding that she knew she had done wrong, and that she was expecting some punishment. That might have been a big difference; she wasn't really arguing that she was big enough to do this. For once she really knew that she had crossed a line without being told.

"From the grass stains on your clothes, I'm guessing this was in Taylor Park. Right? Down by the river, under the rail bridge where no adults will see?"

Sarah just nodded, but when she looked back at Mum I could see the question in her eyes.

"I see the bottles beside the path when I go past. And I know that groups of teens gather there to drink after the youth club closes. It was an easy guess. But... Thank you for being honest. So... one bottle? Two? Or one of those big ones to share with your friends?"

"Just one," she said. "I only had one. I don't want to be like... I didn't want to get in trouble. I was just trying to fit in."

"And your friends were pushing you to try it?"

"It wasn't Sylvie's fault. She's having trouble dealing with... everything. We were just trying to help her deal with one of those things, and it seemed like it might be... well, not the best idea. But..."

"Regretting it now?" Mum asked, and her voice was a lot softer.

"Yes, Mum. I won't do it again."

"Good. And it means a lot that you were willing to admit that. But I would have been happier if you would have told me to start with. I don't want you to feel like you need to have secrets from me. You're still a child, Sarah, and you shouldn't be making those kinds of choices until you are ready. So I think that if I don't start seeing a little more maturity in your actions, I'll have to treat you more like a child. Just until I know I can trust you. Understand?"

"Yes, Mum," she sighed. I finally looked up, and saw Sarah's hands were in her lap. Her body language was trying to show that she was being oppressed, but I had to hope that she was just feeling guilty for getting Mum so upset.

"Now, is there anything else you need to tell me?"

"No, Mum."

"So what happened last night? You did promise me that you were going to tell me in future."

"That's not the same!" she snapped, standing up again. "I'm not a baby! I just had a drink last night, and it's not something I'm used to. That's got nothing to do with–"

"Sarah. You promised me that if you wet the bed, you would let me know. I gave you one more chance last time. But you have had that chance, and even when caught you still tried to lie to me. So now, I will check that you are wearing your diaper before bed, and I will check that you are dry in the morning. It seems that's the only way I can be sure whether we still need them. And perhaps that will also act as a reminder that you aren't yet old enough to make all your own decisions. Yes?"

"Yes, Mum," she mumbled, and blushed. I couldn't believe that she had given in so easily. But perhaps she was starting to realise that every effort at rebellion was only making her punishment worse.

I finished my breakfast quickly, wondering if Mum would have anything to say to me this morning. But after Sarah dashed out to visit her friend, Mum seemed to just be thinking about my big sister, and worrying about where she really was.

"Are you okay, Mum?" I asked her. The words felt kind of backwards; it had been her asking me that for most of my life so far. But I knew that she was worrying about Sarah. Her friends and clothes had made Mum worry for weeks or even months. And now the bed wetting must be just another cause for worry. I did hope that it was drinking that had caused it, because I knew from the news that most victims of the pubococcygitis thing usually only took two weeks to fully recover, except in rare cases where it could cause permanent damage to the muscles around someone's bladder. If this went on longer, I could only see their relationship being even more strained.

"I'm fine, honey. I don't have to worry about you, do I? Such a good girl, you tell me everything."

"Maybe I'll be a rebel when I'm as old as Sarah?" I suggested. I knew that my sister had changed a lot, and stopped confiding in me and Mum, in the last few years. And I didn't want to do that, but I couldn't predict how I would act if I suddenly changed too. Growing up was a scary thought.

"I hope not," she said. "But don't worry about her. Because of those few lies, I have a reason to make her my baby again. She will be less eager to stay with her friends while she has this problem, and if they find out it's only the kind and respectable ones who will want to influence her. I doubt that gang would want to corrupt her any longer. Maybe this will be the miracle we need to put her back on the right path. A little motherly love might help her to see that the rules are for her own good."

"I hope so," I said, and got up from the table to hug Mum. "I worry about her too when she goes out on her own."

"It's not when she's alone that I'm worried about," she mumbled. And then looked down at me, a little more serious. "I'm not being selfish, am I? I'm just going to baby her a little while I have the opportunity, encouraging her to accept the childish side of herself, so that we can set her back on the right path."

I told her that it was fine. And I knew she was worrying a lot now, so I ignored the little voice that was wondering if she might try babying me to ensure I didn't stray onto the wrong path.