Gemotions

He found himself constantly "helping" his son, Ben, with his homework, even though the boy was perfectly capable. The real reason? Mrs. Davison. He'd had her for fifth grade. He remembered her with a shiver, a mix of grudging respect and lingering resentment. He’d craved her praise back then.

He'd hover near Ben's desk, correcting the boy's punctuation, "advising" on the best way to approach a story. He felt a sharp pang when Mrs. Davison mentioned, during parent-teacher night, how well-behaved and academically advanced Ben was. The praise felt somehow... misplaced. He felt like he'd missed out.