Then I started making phone calls. I called my cell phone provider and removed Mason and Chloe’s lines from our family plan. I called the cable company and scheduled a disconnection for the next day. I called the internet provider and did the same. I changed the password on all the streaming accounts.
Jessica found me in the office around 10 p.m. «What are you doing?» she asked.
«Mason made it very clear tonight that I’m not his parent and he doesn’t answer to me,» I said without looking up from my computer. «So I’m making sure he doesn’t have to worry about accepting anything from someone who isn’t his parent.»
Her face went pale. «Mark, what did you do?»
«I’m removing Mason and Chloe from everything that’s in my name or that I pay for. Their phones are already disconnected. The internet and cable get shut off tomorrow. I’m also going to need David’s address because I’ll be dropping off their belongings this weekend.»
«You can’t be serious.»
I looked at her then. «Jessica, your son just told me I’m nothing more than your husband, that I have no authority in my own house, and that my children don’t matter because they’re not related to him. He’s right that I’m not his parent, but that means I’m not responsible for him either.»
«They’re kids, Mark. They’re still learning.»
«No,» I interrupted. «Emma and Tyler are kids, and they’ve learned to be respectful. Mason is sixteen. He’s old enough to drive, old enough to have a job, and old enough to understand consequences. If he wants to act like I don’t exist, then as far as his privileges go, I won’t exist.»
I spent the next day implementing my plan. I packed up Mason and Chloe’s belongings—clothes, electronics, personal items—and loaded them into my truck. I changed the locks on the house and had new keys made for Jessica, Emma, Tyler, and myself. When Jessica, Mason, and Chloe came home that afternoon and couldn’t get in, they called me.
«Mark,» Jessica said when I answered, «we can’t get in the house.»
«I changed the locks,» I said calmly. «Mason and Chloe’s things are packed and ready to go to David’s.»
«You can’t kick out my children.»
«I’m not kicking them out because they’re your children. I’m removing them because they’ve made it clear they don’t recognize me as having any authority in my own home. People who don’t respect the homeowner don’t get to live in the home.»
There was silence on the other end. «I’ll be home in twenty minutes,» I continued. «David can pick them up then, or you can drive them over. But they’re not coming back into this house until they can treat me with basic respect.»
When I got home, David was already there. Jessica had called him, and he’d come straight over.
«This seems pretty extreme over some teenage attitude,» David said when he saw me.
I looked at him steadily. «David, if your son told you that you weren’t his parent, that he didn’t have to listen to you, and that your own children didn’t matter to him, what would you do?»
David was quiet for a moment. «I’d probably want to teach him a lesson.»
«That’s all I’m doing,» I said. «Teaching a lesson about respect and consequences.»
I turned to Mason and Chloe, who were standing next to Jessica’s car looking stunned. «I want you both to understand something,» I said. «This isn’t about me being mean or petty. This is about respect. You’ve told me in words and actions that I’m not your parent and you don’t answer to me. Okay, I accept that. But parents provide for their children. If I’m not your parent, then I’m not obligated to provide for you.»
Mason, for the first time since I’d known him, looked uncertain. «You’re really going to make us leave?»
«You told me I had no authority over you in my own house. You were right,» I replied. «But authority and responsibility go together. No authority means no responsibility.»
Chloe started crying then. «But where will we go?»
«To your dad’s,» I said gently. «He’s your parent. I’m just your mom’s husband, remember?»
I helped David load their things into his car. As they were getting ready to leave, Mason looked at me. «What if we want to come back?»
«Then you’ll need to decide if you can treat me with the same respect you’d show your father,» I answered. «Because that’s what I am in this house: a father figure who deserves basic respect.»
They left with David that night. Jessica was furious with me at first. We had some very difficult conversations over the next few days. She accused me of being cruel, of giving up on her kids, of putting my ego before our family.
But I held firm. «Jessica, I love you, and I want to love your kids,» I told her. «But I can’t love people who actively disrespect me and hurt my children. Mason and Chloe need to learn that actions have consequences, and the consequence of rejecting my authority is losing my support.»
Emma and Tyler, meanwhile, were different kids. The tension in the house disappeared overnight. They did their homework without being asked, helped with chores without attitude, and for the first time in months, they seemed relaxed in their own home.