A paralyzed mother in a wheelchair confronts her 14-year-old daughter Maylana about school suspensions, shoplifting, and disrespect, including a cruel comment about her disability. They clash over chores, with Maylana refusing dishes and the mother fighting to parent while managing her own limitations.
Chapters
I'm paralyzed from the waist down, and I'm in a wheelchair. Now I feel like I'm fighting another battle for my daughter's life. Maylana's 14, and she acts like an adult. She be getting suspended from school. She be stealing from the store. She disrespecting me, calling me all type of names. We was arguing, and then she said, stand on it. Oh, I forgot you can't. So that was the hurtfullest thing she ever said to me. Maylana Laura needs to know as long as I'm around, she's not going to be that baddie that she claims that she want to be. My kids need to know whether I'm in this wheelchair or not, I'm still their mother.
She always want me to go in the house and do chores every day, and I'm not going to do that.
What kind of chores does she want you to do?
Like the dishes. I'm not going to do that. Lying. I do my own dishes. You're lying. Clean up after the cats. And I do.