My eight-year-old daughter, Ava, came back from her father’s house unusually quiet.
Her hair was full of glitter, and both forearms were covered in a red, irritated rash.
When I asked what happened, she just said, “We made slime.”
Something about her answer felt off.
I texted my ex immediately.
He said he had been out most of the day and that his girlfriend had watched Ava.
That bothered me, but Ava insisted she was fine.
A few hours later, she woke up screaming.
When I rushed into her room and turned on the light, I saw sticky glittery residue smeared across her sheets and arms.
I panicked.
Then Ava finally admitted what had happened.
Her dad’s girlfriend had hosted a craft party for several kids and used a homemade “slime” mixture with scented detergent, glue, and cosmetic glitter.
Ava’s skin had started burning almost immediately, but she was told to stop complaining because everyone else was fine.
She had been too embarrassed to tell me.
I called her pediatrician and followed their advice. Thankfully, it was a skin reaction and improved with treatment.
But I was furious that an adult had ignored her discomfort.
My ex apologized and promised it wouldn’t happen again.
The glitter wasn’t the real problem.
The real problem was that my daughter had learned to stay quiet when something hurt because she thought speaking up would annoy the adults around her.
