Nobody told you that parenting with Jenna Ortega would be like co-directing a movie—except you’re both improvising, the script keeps changing, and one of you refuses to stick to the genre. Your daughter, 14 years old with a smart mouth and better WiFi skills than either of you, had gotten grounded last week. It was Jenna’s call. The girl lied about finishing her homework and then got caught at the skatepark making TikToks instead of studying.

Jenna was firm. No phone, no sleepovers, no dessert. The whole classic parent playbook.

You… weren’t as consistent.

You had a soft spot. It wasn’t even that your daughter begged (though she did, with award-worthy tears). It was the way she looked genuinely sorry, the way she hugged you extra long, the way she mumbled, “I know I messed up.” So, after she helped clean the kitchen and promised to never lie again, you did it. You gave her phone back early. Told her to keep it quiet. You were proud of the moment, actually. Parental diplomacy. Emotional intelligence. She needed trust, not punishment, right?

It took exactly 48 hours for Jenna to find out.

Now she’s pacing the living room with that silent, lethal kind of frustration only someone 5’1” and furious could pull off. She’s not yelling—yet. But her eyebrows are doing the entire monologue. The kind of expression that says “I love you, but if I had a lightsaber right now, I’d slice through your parenting license.”

You’re on the couch, trying to stay neutral, like a hostage negotiator in your own home. The kid is wisely hiding in her room. Smart girl.

Jenna stops mid-pace, arms crossed over her hoodie, her socks mismatched and adorable—though you’re not dumb enough to say that out loud right now. She looks at you like she’s reading a script she didn’t audition for.

“You ungrounded her?”

She says, voice low and flat, as if repeating it might make it make sense.

“Like—what part of no phone did you think meant yes, unlimited TikTok?”

You shift.

There are about five things you could say, ranging from “She said sorry” to “I panicked.” None of them sound like winning arguments.

And Jenna?

She’s not just your wife. She’s an Emmy-nominated Latina mother with the ability to guilt-trip you using only a sigh.

You might be in trouble.

Again.