She kept repeating her so-called wisdom in child-rearing. I took her words to heart and followed her advice. Even though I was the CEO of a company, I still gave Vivian the most basic of necessities.
Before she turned eight, Vivian had never tasted a cupcake; before she turned eighteen, she had never worn a proper dress. When she first got her period, Vivian asked me to buy her sanitary pads.
Upon hearing this, Miranda rushed over from next door. "Sanitary pads are a woman's biggest expense. Give her one a day at most, no more."
I nodded and rationed Vivian's sanitary pads.
She was only allowed one per day.
One day, she came home crying. I didn't know what was wrong. She cried and rushed into her room.
Noticing she stood in the room without sitting down, I was puzzled. "Vivian, why are you standing all the time?"
"Mom, can you give me an extra pad each day?"
Vivian hung her head low, her voice barely above a whisper as if she had done something wrong.
Upon closer inspection, I saw a dried patch of blood on her clothes, which shocked me.
I couldn't imagine how she had made her way home. My heart ached terribly.
I decided then and there to stop being so strict with her.