We hired Claire after months of exhaustion. She came highly recommended — gentle, calm, with the kind of soft voice babies instantly respond to. The first day she held Zoey, she hummed a lullaby that made even me relax.
But Beau’s reaction was immediate and fierce.
“Beau!” I shouted, shocked. He’d never behaved like that with anyone.
We thought maybe he was confused by the new person, so we tried to give him space. But each day, his behavior worsened. He barked at her constantly, blocked her path to the nursery, and even showed his teeth once.
Claire started texting us during her shifts:
- “He won’t let me pick up the baby.”
- “Can you please put him in another room next time?”
Rose and I felt torn. Beau had always been part of the family, but now we had a newborn to think about. What if something went wrong?
The unthinkable began to creep in — maybe we needed to let him go.
