There’s a lot I don’t remember from that time. That’s how trauma works — it fogs the details and burns the feelings in sharp.

But I remember this: I used my rent money to rent a car. Drove straight to Rochester. Brought my babies home for the summer. And for six weeks, we lived.

We swam. We hiked. We drew all over each other with markers. They made friends. They got dirty. We built new traditions. I set up bedrooms for each of them, so they’d know they always had a space — that this was their home, too.

I got them into counseling even though I wasn’t “allowed” to. Because I knew what they’d been through. I knew what they were still holding.

This episode is about the cost of reclaiming joy, and why even six weeks of freedom can change a life.

—

In this episode:

• Reclaiming motherhood during summer
• The trauma of custody exchanges
• Loving children through manipulation and grief
• Creating joy in the cracks of pain
• Counseling as resistance
• What it means to give children a sense of home

—

Start from Episode 1 to follow the full story. Each chapter builds on the last.

Don’t Call Me is written and hosted by Em.