Christmess: The Morning I Learned My Mother Was Leaving (Dispatch 18)

"Well, if you're going to leave in June anyways, you might as well leave now!" Thirteen-year-old Jeff heard it from the stairs on Christmas morning, with his little brother beside him in footed pajamas.In this episode, Jeff tells the story of the holiday his parents' marriage broke open: the Hail Mary trip to Brazil, the presents opened quietly with Gramma, and the night Eric slept in his bed. He follows the fallout into adulthood, including choosing to stay with his broken father, cutting off his mother for nearly a decade, and setting out into life "rudderless and leaky."This is the eighteenth episode of Diaries of a Dance Dad, an audio memoir series in Jeff's own words. It spans the full arc of parenthood: the inhale of birth and early chaos, the grind of no sleep and travel with kids, the gut-punches of failure, and the slow exhale of letting go.

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