The Dad Dilemma

Contemplative be the state,
as I catch my daughter
in another lie,
and being the softer
of the parents,
that girl can pull at my heart
like no other

We value that strong will,
until it defies certain standards,
the immediate lecture of mother
makes me cringe more
than the intended recipient

But finding that effective way
to address the consequence
has me scratching my head

My definitive "no's",
are rarely definitive

This is the toughest part
of the role
and when the co-parent
is the reactor
one barely gets the chance
to mull it over enough
to design a plan of action

I discovered the infraction
and I am deciding to handle it,
but how to proceed
without standard punitive
protocol becomes the challenge

I obviously reject
the old ways,
realising that a child
should still see love
outweigh anger
in the process

This is the third time,
the phone has been smuggled out
and my daughter doesn't know
that I've got it hidden away now

I've yet to address it,
and the devious side of me
wonders if the discovery
that it is missing
might be the lesson itself