“Your mom is perfect,” they say. Successful career, volunteers at school, gets along with everyone. Shuttles me to soccer practice, piano recitals, and Model UN. Monitors screen time, dictates my schedule, chooses my friends. Tells me: work hard, failure is not an option, eat healthy, make her proud. Demands perfection.

J. Hess enjoys traveling, reading, and writing flash fiction and creative nonfiction.