She declined a huge promotion and finally quit a few months ago. The family gave up certain pleasures like eating out, movies, new clothes. But now, Benham says, peace and routine have returned. She feels more patient. Noah is calmer.
Meals are home-cooked and relaxed.
Television is mostly gone from Noah's life. He has learned to knit. He collects rocks. He spends about 15 minutes a month on the computer and knows little of Nintendo or Sony Playstation or Pokemon. At last, his parents feel like they're the controlling influence.