A Good Enough Mother

Mia is telling me a story. It's about a princess, who lives on a street just like ours. I'm distracted for a moment by her little hand softly slipping into mine. My daughter. My angel. But then she says something that snaps me back to reality. She says that there's an old lady who's a queen, and who's kind. Except that she doesn't treat the princess well. She punishes her and doesn't let her eat anything... Helen, my neighbour, has been so good to me. And more importantly, she's amazing with the children, looking after them when I am struggling as a single parent, having escaped an abusive relationship. Surely this is just another story of Mia's, just make believe? But if it's not, what if my own father was right, and I was never good enough to be a mother in the first place? I tighten my grip on my sweet, trusting little girl's hand. And vow I will do whatever it takes to protect her...