“Looks like you’ll need another plan,” I typed. Then I turned my phone off. I had already paid the $850 deposit, and I was not going to finance another $1,900 dinner after being told my children were not welcome. Bellisimo had my authorization only for the original reservation deposit, so the remaining bill belonged to the adults still sitting in that private room. Renee apparently tried three different cards before Dad finally covered most of it himself.

The next morning, Dad came to my house without calling. He said I had humiliated him in front of relatives and asked why I could not have waited until after his birthday to “make a point.” I placed Nolan and Piper’s birdhouse on the kitchen table between us. “Your grandchildren made this for you,” I said. “They carried it into that restaurant believing you wanted them there. Renee insulted them, and you asked us to leave. The bill is not what embarrassed you.”