It had been one of those days where the chaos of parenting was in full swing. Stephanie was seated on the couch, trying her best to feed Lila her bottle of milk. The one-year-old, however, was fussy, squirming in her arms and occasionally turning her head away. “Lila, sweetie, just a little more,” Stephanie coaxed gently, her patience unwavering despite the hectic scene around her.

Meanwhile, Lilly and Layla were bouncing around the living room like balls of energy. “Mommy, can we have candy? Please, please, please?” Lilly, the 5-year-old, begged with her big, hopeful eyes.

“Yeah, candy!” Layla, the 3-year-old, chimed in, jumping up and down beside her sister.

Stephanie sighed, keeping her focus on Lila as she tried another attempt with the bottle. “Girls, you just had lunch,” she replied. “Candy isn’t a snack, you know.”

“But pleeease, Mommy?” Lilly pressed, dragging the word out dramatically. Layla nodded in agreement, tugging at Stephanie’s hoodie.

Jake walked into the room just in time to see the scene. “What’s going on in here?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he took in Stephanie juggling Lila and the two candy-crazed girls.

“Your daughters,” Stephanie said with a pointed look, “are determined to turn this into a candy factory.”

Jake chuckled and crouched down to their level. “How about this—if you can go play nicely for a little while, we’ll talk about dessert after dinner, okay?”

Lilly and Layla exchanged glances before reluctantly nodding. “Okay, Daddy,” Lilly said with a pout.

Stephanie sighed in relief. “Now Tell that girl to drink the milk she’s refuses to drink.”

Jake held the bottle for Lila, who miraculously started sipping. “See? Daddy magic,” he teased, earning an eye roll but a smile from Stephanie.

Stephanie rolls her eyes but is surprised “h-how did you-?”