Children are adept at reading between the lines.
After the couple s dinner, she helps the children into their pajamas, sits on each of their beds for thirty seconds, kisses them, says how much she loves them, and then closes the door. If you asked the mother, she might say she felt good about the interaction with her children after all, she said she loved them twice, cooked dinner for them, and sat on each of their beds. This is what good parents do, she thinks. And yet, the subtext is quite different. There is nothing of value inside of you.