Madison sat down with Greg, letting him settle into her lap.
Her hands passed gently over him as she eased back into the flow of conversation with her friends. Her fingers moved with a kind of absent affection, petting him while she talked, laughed, and occasionally leaned forward to grab another Pizza Roll from the plate Krysi had brought in.
Greg felt his body relax under each touch.
It happened slowly, then all at once. His shoulders loosened. The tension in his back eased. His breathing evened out as Madison’s fingers moved carefully over him, warm and steady. It felt almost like a professional massage uptown, mixed with the relief of an athletic trainer working tension out of a sore muscle.
He had hated it for a long time.
When Madison or McKenzie first started touching him this way, every part of him had rebelled against it. He had been a grown man. A husband. A father. The idea of being petted had felt humiliating, like a line he could not cross without losing another piece of himself.
But over time, he had started to think about it differently.
He should not be ashamed of what his body needed.
At this size, affection was harder. Hugs were difficult. A gentle kiss was no longer gentle when the lips were large enough to cover most of his body. Even being held carried a kind of helplessness that took time to accept.
The little pets had taken the place of old affection.
They were warmth.
Contact.
Reassurance.
A way for his daughters to tell him they loved him without crushing him by accident.
So Greg let himself relax against Madison’s lap and tried not to feel guilty for how good it felt.
“Oh, Dad,” Madison said suddenly, glancing down at him. “We have a dance competition in a couple weeks. You’re still coming, right?”
The question was real.
Greg loved that she still asked.
Madison could have simply decided he was going. There was very little he could do if she wanted to take him somewhere. Yet she asked anyway, and that made the question feel like a piece of the old Madison slipping through.
Trying to sound like she did not care.
Secretly caring more than anything.
“Of course,” Greg said. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Madison’s face brightened before she could hide it. He felt the delight in her body, in the way her hand stilled for half a second before resuming its soft motion over him.
“Good,” she said, trying to sound casual and failing just enough for him to notice. “We’ll have to get the outfit bag out. I got a few new options for you.”
Krysi looked over from where she was biting into another Pizza Roll. “Wait, you have an outfit bag for him? Why are they always dressed so minimally then?”
Madison’s expression shifted.
Not annoyed exactly.
More like she had been waiting for someone to ask.
“I have several outfits for him,” Madison said. “Mom just isn’t very accepting of being a Little, and she always said Littles should earn clothes by behaving properly and being appreciative for what their guardian provides. Being able to act correctly in public and around others. You know, general Little behavior stuff.”
Greg felt her fingers pause against his back.
“Oh, Cindy definitely doesn’t do that,” Ava said from the floor. “She was telling me just last week how she’s still human and deserves respect. That she’s basically a shrunken person and not a Little.”
Ava made a face.
“It was giving dramatic movie speech.”
Brooklyn laughed from the couch. “That sounds exactly like her.”
“Nothing like your dad,” Ava added, smiling toward Greg. “He’s so chill.”
Greg gave a small, polite smile, though the compliment landed strangely.
“So yeah,” Madison said. “Mom ruins it for Dad because I don’t want to deal with him being in a full outfit and Mom not. She’d go ballistic. But Kenzie forced the hand, so prepare for that.”
She looked down at Greg, her expression softening.
“Sorry, Dad. I know it’s not fair to you.”
Greg looked up at her.
Madison’s fingers brushed gently across his shoulder.
“But Mom kind of has a tendency to ruin things regardless of her size,” Madison said. “She always has to be right. Always has to be the smartest person in the room. Always has to be in control of everything. And if she didn’t do it, then it’s wrong.”
Her mouth twisted.
“As a Little, those aren’t good qualities. They weren’t even great as a person. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but I know other people can know things. Ava and Krysi can be right about Little or Guardian stuff without being fully trained. Mom would never.”
Greg did not answer right away.
Because he understood where Madison was coming from.
He did not want to.
But he did.
Cindy liked control. She always had. Sometimes that control came from love. Sometimes from fear. Sometimes from a genuine belief that if she did not organize everything herself, things would fall apart.
But it had hurt people too.
He remembered when Madison was younger and he had bought her a Lego set. She had been so excited, bouncing in place while he cleared the kitchen table and opened the box. It should have been simple. A father and daughter building something together.
Then Cindy had joined in.
Within minutes, she had taken over the whole thing. She read the instructions like an architect calling out blueprints. She sorted the pieces into perfect little piles. She corrected Madison’s hand placement, told her which bricks to use, and frowned every time Madison tried to improvise.
Madison had become manual labor in her own toy.
By the end, the set looked exactly like the picture on the box.
And Madison had not had fun.
Greg remembered seeing it then. The frustration in Madison’s face. The way her excitement had gone quiet. He had told himself Cindy meant well, and she had. That was the difficult part. Cindy had not been trying to ruin it. She had been trying to make it perfect.
But sometimes Cindy’s version of perfect left no room for anyone else.
Madison and McKenzie had both inherited some of that from their mother. The need to control. The instinct to organize. The desire to be right.
Greg had spent years trying to soften it in them.
Not erase it. Control was not always bad. Confidence was not always bad. Leadership was not always bad.
But he had wanted them to learn flexibility. To listen. To let other people contribute. To understand that being in charge did not always mean holding everything in your own hands.
Madison liked control, but she could step back when she wanted to.
McKenzie would take control if she needed to, but she did not need to hold it every second.
Cindy was different.
Greg loved his wife. He loved her deeply. Cindy could be warm and compassionate. She cared about Madison and McKenzie with a fierceness that sometimes overwhelmed even her. She had sacrificed for them, fought for them, and tried in her own flawed way to prepare them for the world.
But she had always struggled to show love without directing it.
And now, as a Little, all of those sharp edges had become liabilities.
Everything that had made Cindy powerful as a person made her painfully incompatible with the role she had been forced into.
Greg hated thinking that.
He hated that Madison could see it.
He hated even more that Madison was not entirely wrong.
“She’s having a hard time,” Greg said finally.
Madison’s expression tightened, but she did not interrupt.
“She has always had a hard time letting go of control,” Greg continued. “That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you.”
“I know she loves me,” Madison said quietly. “That’s not the problem.”
Greg nodded.
Because that was true too.
Love had never been Cindy’s absence.
It had always been her method.
Madison looked down at him, and for a moment, the room around them seemed to fade behind the sound of the television and the girls laughing nearby.
“I’m trying with her,” Madison said.
Greg looked at her carefully.
“I know,” he said.
He was not sure that was fully true.
But he knew Madison needed to hear it.
Madison’s hand resumed its gentle petting motion, softer now.
“Good,” she said.
Across the room, Brooklyn groaned loudly. “Okay, no offense, but if we’re about to have a family therapy episode, I need more Pizza Rolls.”
Krysi tossed one at her.
Brooklyn tried to catch it in her mouth and missed completely.
Ava burst out laughing.
Madison snorted, the seriousness breaking just enough for her to breathe again.
Greg smiled despite himself.
The house was loud.
Messy.
Strange.
Not his in the way it used to be.
But Madison was smiling again.
And for the moment, sitting safely in his daughter’s lap, that was enough.
speaking from experience, living with that kind of perfectionism isn’t easy for anyone, even the person trying to be perfect. I literally try to avoid anything where i might have to be in charge of planning and stuff for that exact reason. I just can’t help myself and it sucks lol its like once you get going and have exactly how you need it to be laid out, all deviations from it are world ending events.
Suddenly Cindy is much, much more relatable lmao She’s either had some really hard moments where she wants to avoid issues by taking everything on herself, she’s got like chronic shame or low self-worth to begin with, or she picked it up growing up.
Oh for sure Cindy just become hella lot more relatable not saying all she done should be excused or anything but it makes sense now
I’m thinking maybe it was how she was raised to be perfect Cindy honestly reminds me of the mother in turning red how she wants everything perfect and align with her vision but also struggles to connect with her daughter and not messing things up but struggles to understand
It will be interesting to see what happens next with Cindy’s character going forward though
yeah, and i was thinking more about it, and it more explains evans comment about Charity having something that Cindy doesn’t. I’m like 70% sure Cindy had some self-worth or self-esteem issues in life and her identity got tied to her Little Advocacy stuff (not sure advocacy is the right word lol) and now that its taken away, she has no identity, not a real one anyway. that’s a justification for a therapist that we’ll never see for littles haha
Character wise Cindy has always been a perfectonist its just a character trait she was born with so to speak. While it probably would have caused issues throughout her life its also something she has always had so its just normal from her and how she views and looks at the world.
Atleast thats how I thought of it writing it. But people can take different things from the same passages thats what makes writing interesting to seeing how people intepret and read into what was written.
This episode really humanizes Cindy. I hope Madison and Mackenzie don’t discard her and hear their mom out.
I agree it does humanize her but from the perspective of Madison and McKenzie this wouldnt actively change anything. As while the reader is just made aware of this. This isn’t some kind of revelation to them specifically.
I love how Greg can talk to Madison openly even here amongst her friends and I love how Madison didn’t interrupt him……. I think the only way Cindy starts to open up is she accepts she’s a little just like Greg has
agreed. I think her best step towards that is working on being a mother first and to stop trying to find ways to improve her situation. Granted, it’ll be really hard for her if Madisons friends do what Evan did the other day and just needle her to get a reaction
Yeah madisons friends ragebaiting her does not help!
Is it really rage baiting when its ones own opinions, thoughts and beliefs? Its not like lies were made up or anything.
A) I was just about to say the same thing.
B) I hope this group of now young women adopt their own nice little treatment like they are now with Greg and move away from ridged no fun Cindy style. There will never will be a question who is in charge, the girls are giants to them. Having the littles follow you because they know you want what’s best for them is a much better feeling then they fear you even though they still need to know bad things happen with not listening because it could be dangerous.
C) I really enjoy Madison being able to be a herself around her dad and not the full parent guardian like with Cindy around.
Cindy accepting being a little would be helpful for her. Its clearly helpful for Greg. It doesnt mean he ahs to like it or or wouldnt rather be human but sometimes you just have to play the hand you were dealt.
Cindy needs to learn to love and be proud of what her new body can do that her human body couldn’t & I think Madison with her little knowledge would be perfect to do it. Show her how her little body is perfect add on to a human body and what unique features littles have to assist humans daily body needs.
Cindy would in know the theory behind what a littles body could do. She doesnt view herself as a little which would be the problem. So until she accepts that, then shes never going to look at herself with the restrictions or benefits of a little.
“I’m trying with her,” Madison said.
Greg looked at her carefully.
“I know,” he said.
He was not sure that was fully true.
But he knew Madison needed to hear it.
Madison’s hand resumed its gentle petting motion, softer now.
“Good,” she said.
Just when I start to like Greg, he shows his lack of spine at the detriment of the woman he married and supported. They all act, even Greg, like they hated her and that she never did anything good for them. The second he gets comfy, he folds. THAT is the core of his character. Willing to sacrifice the rights and dignity of others, even his own wife, if it means he can be a little more comfortable and not have a difficult conversation.
“This just needs time.” is real easy to say from his position.
Yes Greg, Madison treating your wife worse than a damn dog while having her run around in her underwear and laughing at her pain is “trying”. Go ahead and reinforce that because you get clothes and good boy pets. God forbid you have a difficult discussion with your damn daughter.
Every atrocity against human rights that has ever happened, only happened because those who knew it was wrong, refused to say anything. Because it “didn’t affect them”. Guy is a very realistic character, but is also very frustrating.
I think that frustration with Greg is fair, because he is supposed to be frustrating in that way.
Greg’s flaw has always been that he tries to keep peace instead of forcing conflict. He is not the person who kicks the door down and demands the whole system change right now. He tends to take the softer route, especially when he is scared, overwhelmed, or unsure how much power he actually has.
Where I would push back is the idea that he does not care about Cindy or that he is only protecting his own comfort. Greg does love Cindy. He also knows Cindy was not just some awful person who never did anything good for the family. She was his wife, the girls’ mother, and someone who did love them. But he is also having to admit that some of Madison’s anger toward Cindy did not come out of nowhere.
That puts Greg in a difficult position. He can see that Madison is wrong in how she treats Cindy, but he can also understand why Madison has resentment toward her. So instead of pushing as hard as he probably should, he tries to soften Madison slowly.
That may not be enough. It may even be cowardly at times. But I don’t think it comes from him being fine with Cindy’s humiliation because he gets clothes and snacks. I think it comes from the same flaw he had before Smallara: when the situation gets difficult, Greg tries to manage it gently instead of confronting it directly.
So yes, he is realistic and frustrating. I agree with that part. But I don’t see him as someone sacrificing Cindy because he hates her. I see him as someone who still loves her, but is scared, dependent, and not as brave as he needs to be.
1) So Greg let himself relax against Madison’s lap and tried not to feel guilty for how good it felt. – It is inevitable, Greg’s relationship with his daughters has already changed and will continue to change as he assimilates into his role as a Little. He cannot fight his body forever.
2) “Oh, Dad,” Madison said suddenly, glancing down at him. “We have a dance competition in a couple weeks. You’re still coming, right?” – Looks like Cindy is causing Madison to be bipolar (😝). It’s nice she can revert back to the loving daughter, too bad she has to show a different persona when Cindy is around.
3) Trying to sound like she did not care.
Secretly caring more than anything. – Seems like to some degree, she wants the old relationship to still be there. I hate to suggest that Greg should capitalize on this, but it certainly is a good way to bring the family back together.
4) “I have several outfits for him,” – Did she have these outfits prior to McKenzie telling her that “Dad” will be wearing clothes?
5) “Oh, Cindy definitely doesn’t do that,” Ava said from the floor. “She was telling me just last week how she’s still human and deserves respect. That she’s basically a shrunken person and not a Little.” – Ava, despite he dislike of Cindy, seems to be much more tolerant than the others in letting Cindy speak her mind. Will this change when she is a certified Guardian?
6) Greg did not answer right away.
Because he understood where Madison was coming from.
He did not want to.
But he did. – Greg does a pretty good job of NOT joining in on the “Cindy bashing”. Still the good husband. Too bad Cindy cannot be privy to this.
7) Speaking of Cindy. What the heck is taking Evan so long to come downstairs with Cindy?
8) He remembered when Madison was younger and he had bought her a Lego set. – Good backstory to explain more of Cindy’s mindset. That type of personality is hard to change.
9) But he had wanted them to learn flexibility. To listen. To let other people contribute. To understand that being in charge did not always mean holding everything in your own hands. – Greg has such good qualities, but his execution is sorely lacking. Henpecked might a bit too strong of a description, but Cindy certainly ruled the roost before Smallara.
10) Cindy could be warm and compassionate. She cared about Madison and McKenzie with a fierceness that sometimes overwhelmed even her. She had sacrificed for them, fought for them, and tried in her own flawed way to prepare them for the world. – The girls understand so much about their mother, but it seems they miss this nuance regarding her love for them. (I know they know she loves them, but I don’t think they see this they way Greg does).
11) Across the room, Brooklyn groaned loudly. “Okay, no offense, but if we’re about to have a family therapy episode, I need more Pizza Rolls.” – A family therapy session would go a long way to helping the family.
12) It’s going to be interesting to see how the atmosphere of the room changes once Cindy shows up. 😇
11) I’m reminded of a quote from TFS Perfect Cell
1) That is correct even if he hadn’t changed into a little the relationship was bound to change as they are getting older and nothing stays the same forever. Now he is just havving to accelerate that change.
2) YOu could say she can be herself in these kind of situations and she has to perform when she is with Cindy as she applying Cindys method as cindy described them and taught them. Not as Madison would naturally do them.
3) I was tryign to mimic here how teens are naturally whre they can feel they are to cool to actually ask or admit they want their parents at the event but in reality when they really want htem there.
4) She has clothes for both parents and has had htem for awhile.
5) Ava is more grounded kind of like Krysi. Although Ava really doesnt like Cindy that much.
6) He can see both sides. he does love his wife despite her quirks and beliefs. But everyone has aspects they dont like about someone be it a friend, spouse, family memebr etc. Thats part of life.
7) In one of the chapters someone does make that comment. I feel liek its brooklyn. I just dont rememebr which one.
8) I wanted to not make excuses for how she is, who she is, what she did. But i did want to explain more of why she is who she is, why she believes what she believes and how it brought her to here. So the reader doesnt have to agree with her but can understand the choices she made throughout hte seasons.
9) Thats part of what humanizes him to me. Is that he isnt doing all this perfectly. He is atleast i would say he is a good person, He wants to do the right htings and has ideals he wants to impress upon his daughters but like every parent part of parenting is just winging it. There is no magic handbook that has the best path or best ways to do things. So he has good intentions but those good intentions dont always come to fruition how he wants.
10) They don’t but thats also part of growing. Things I was told as a kid or saw as a kid i can interpret now quite differently as an adult. Madison and McKenize could do the same.
11) I dont see that happening as most of hte people involved dont see the need.
12) You mean the light in every room cindy wessen
1) “When Madison or McKenzie first started touching him this way, every part of him had rebelled against it. He had been a grown man. A husband. A father. The idea of being petted had felt humiliating, like a line he could not cross without losing another piece of himself” I can se why that’d be something to resist, especially since it was against his consent.
2) “The little pets had taken the place of old affection” which is a good way to look at them
3) “We have a dance competition in a couple weeks. You’re still coming, right?” Assuming McKenzie doesn’t have plans for him that day
4) “The question was real. Greg loved that she still asked. Madison could have simply decided he was going. There was very little he could do if she wanted to take him somewhere. Yet she asked anyway,” That’s weird, I would have assumed she’d treat that like a done deal
5) “Trying to sound like she did not care. Secretly caring more than anything.” Typical teen girl
6) “Wait, you have an outfit bag for him? Why are they always dressed so minimally then?” It;s a dominance thing, probably one of Cindy’s lessons
7) “(mom) always said Littles should earn clothes by behaving properly and being appreciative for what their guardian provides” Knew it
8) “She was telling me just last week how she’s still human and deserves respect. That she’s basically a shrunken person and not a Little.” Damnit Cindy
9) “Sorry, Dad. I know it’s not fair to you.” None of what you’ve done after his reduction has been fair to him, not sure why this needs special mention
10) “She always has to be right. Always has to be the smartest person in the room. Always has to be in control of everything. And if she didn’t do it, then it’s wrong.” Like mother like Madison
11) “As a Little, those aren’t good qualities. They weren’t even great as a person. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but I know other people can know things.” better than Cindy, but not by much
12) “By the end, the set looked exactly like the picture on the box. And Madison had not had fun.” As a Lego collector myself I find that story particularly heartbreaking
13) “Not erase it. Control was not always bad. Confidence was not always bad. Leadership was not always bad” No. But all of those things in moderation
14) “Greg loved his wife. He loved her deeply. Cindy could be warm and compassionate. She cared about Madison and McKenzie with a fierceness” that is what I like about the Wessesns, despite everything it’s love all around
15) “Okay, no offense, but if we’re about to have a family therapy episode, I need more Pizza Rolls.” That does sound entertaining
1) Well its not like he was saying no or stop. He was more fighting himself not wanting it to be good then outwardly being something he wasnt consenting too.
2) Agreed as it is something they are doing to be affectionate towards Greg. Hugs and such would be difficult because of the size. Litlte pets would be a more natural way to display love and affection.
3)Being she would still have classes and tennis and such. it would be hard to imagine a conflict. Plus I feel like that would be extra mean of McKenzie to basically not let Greg see Madison compete out of basically just pettiness.
4) No she wants him to want to go. Otherwise it doesnt mean anything.
5)Basically most teens i agree. thats not that out of the ordinary.
6) You know Cindy so well.
7) Yup, you called it.
8) lol you can always count on Cindy to resist.
9) She can recognize and apologize for it but its also what his wife wants and preached for. So what would he expect to happen? He is getting better treatment then Cindy would ever allow or provide to a little. In cindy terms he is pampered and spoiled.
10) Well parents do shape their kids. Really cindy fault on that one.
11) I would say but a decent amont but to each their own. One person influenced teh entire english speaking world to put littles into their current position in life and the other is a typical bratty teen with a bit of power. They aren’t even close to the same thing in my opinion.
12) Yeah Cindy killed Madisons joy and interest in one project. Kudos to her. Some people it takes months to do what she did in just a couple of hours.
13) thats pretty much what Greg was getting at.
14) Thats how family works or shouldl work atleast.
15) Gregs favorite snack a core tenant of their hangouts. a
1) oh, i thought thats what you meant when you said “rebelled against it”
3) It’d be funny if McKenzie was like “you can take him if you also take mom” lol
4) That’s sweet
8) not just resist, but in the dumbest way
9) But if it mattered to Madison she could just tell Cindy, “he earned them, you didn’t” and leave it at that.
11) I agree that those aren’t the same, and Cindy’s actions/achievements were worse. My point was more about their personalities, beliefs and values, which were very close matches as you confirmed.
12) by far the worst thing Cindy has done, no exaggeration.
14) Well, I’d hardly call this family working
15) didn’t finish this one?
Typically people who are control freaks come from backgrounds where they had no control and are trying to maintain some uniformity despite a past of disorganization. Makes you wonder where Cindy came from that it would be such a serious tick for her. We don’t know how her past but its safe to assume she had little to no autonomy if she’s OCD about perfections and why she has such a hard time conforming. She’s might be starting from square one.
I think I remember in one of the past chapters that Cindy’s sister was a mess and was always asking her for money. Not sure how that played out in her home life