Visiting Emma, Chris and Jack

Jack is amazing.  As with every kid with proud parents, I am told he is “very advanced for his age” and “going through the terrible twos early.”  He’s much more fun now than when he was a baby and I suffered crawling round on my knees to play cars and crashes with him.  Chris is a fantastic young father; probably the best I’ve seen.

Emma ate a lot and talked a lot and I ate a lot and listened a lot.  We sent Chris out to play Rock Band with his friends so we could talk properly.

Emma and I covered lots of topics that she doesn’t talk about with anyone else.  She has a number of demons to overcome and is seeing a counsellor, but it seems to me that the counsellor is positively dangerous!  In her childhood, Emma experienced a violent (to her mum) father, a sexually abusive (to her) grandfather and then an alcoholic stepfather (my brother).  It speaks volumes that she sees her life with her mum and my brother as the most normal time she had. 

Anyway, Chris is a typical 20-something year old and enjoys going out for a drink with his mates.  Emma has trouble dealing with him drinking (although his drinking is not particularly excessive and he has never shown any violence) and it’s affecting their relationship.  I think she needs to tell Chris why she is as she is; the counsellor she’s seeing has asked her if she has anywhere to go should she decide to end the relationship.  Emma and Chris are deeply in love and she had never even thought about leaving him.  Why would a "trained" counsellor introduce that idea?

I hope I said the right things to her.