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I was mindlessly scrolling through social media the other day when a still image from a video on Instagram caught my attention.

It was a mom arguing with her preteen daughter in the car.

Above the post there was a heading:

This is the conversation every child from divorce deserves to hear (my italics)

Most parents never get here (with a crying emoji)

I read some background on the side bar. The scene was an excerpt from season 8 of the drama series “Desperate Housewives” aired in October 2011.

The girl is glaring out the window of the front seat of her mom’s car as her mother is talking to her. The girl doesn't want to hear what her mom is saying.

The background is that her parents are separated, and the preteenager and her mom are arguing about the girl’s reluctance to get out of the car to meet with her father.

This isn’t a unique story. What is surprising is the position that the mom takes and the argument that she is making.

There is so much in this small exchange.

Girl: I thought we were going to the mall

Mom: No, sweetie, listen

Girl: Can we get out of here quickly

Mom: No, you need to spend some time with your dad

Girl: I don't want to

Mom: I’m not giving you a choice

You know why he’s sitting over there

Because he misses you so much

Girl: Then he shouldn't have left us for Jane

Mom: That's not what happened

And he........

© Psychology Today