"Your turn, Gohan,"

The boy picked up the set of dice and tossed them, announcing "Seven," once they settled. Moving his purple piece—a small star atop a round base, he moved forward, landing on an orange colored space. "Positive Thoughts."

ChiChi selected from the stack of cards and read, "What is something you did today that you're proud of?"

They'd begun to make a game night, like they used to when Gohan was a little thing and several nights a week, like tonight, they used the therapy games that the counselors had recommended. They made them a bit more fun to work on things and by establishing rules and rewards, their open communication was improving. ChiChi made a special dessert as incentive for the winner.

The counselor had been thrilled at their steps forward. One would have thought that there would have been more time spent on "should have done this" or "could have done that" but the way she'd explained it made a lot of sense—you could spend time on the past and going through all the things you would have done different but ultimately, they changed nothing. Instead, take what those experiences taught you and see how you can apply it towards the future.

Reviewing past events, she said, was used when someone needed to realize their own impact, their own choices but that had not been an issue with this family. They were well aware of the cause and effect of their choices. In fact, they tended to contribute blame on themselves—especially Gohan—where there was none.

Were there events they needed to process? Sure and they would do that individually in therapy. Gohan, for instance, had a lot of emotion to sort through but one of the hardest elements of any therapy was the realization of powerlessness.

Could ChiChi and Goku have taught Gohan to be a bit more self-reliant? Sure. But given what they'd lived through in the 23rd Tournament, was it understandable why they didn't?

Yes.

And in the moment, could they have said or done anything to change the outcome of Raditz' arrival?

No.

Could ChiChi have done anything more than she did when she found out her son was taken? She'd all but scorched the earth looking for him. With the information she had and the emotional knowledge she had, at that time, could she have done more?

No.

Could Goku have done anything else after he died without condemning them all to die later when the Saiyans came?

No.

Could they blame Piccolo? Yes, for some things. And in some ways, ChiChi especially supposed she always would. But it also couldn't be denied that if Gohan hadn't been there in the battle and if Piccolo had not readied him like he did, Goku would likely have died. And what then?

Was it right?

Was it fair?

No. No it wasn't. But it...just was.

Could the Son Matriarch could go over and over in her head how they could have done this or that instead? Yeah, she could. But what did that do for her? It gave her anxiety and anger and fear. And it changed nothing.

In some cases, with so many factors in play, there was no person or event to blame. Sometimes there were many but perhaps more frightening, sometimes, there were none. Piccolo could be blamed for the initial event perhaps but everything that set that in play? That fell outside the family's control.

Like Goku had said, they were powerless in that aspect.

Powerlessness was a terrible feeling. One that no one liked to feel. But it was a necessary acceptance to overcome the past. Acceptance of what you did was all you could do IN THAT MOMENT.

We make the best decisions we can in the moments we have. She said.

The knowledge we had then. The emotional control we had then. The insight we had then.

And we change moment to moment.

Some people would linger in anger, in guilt, in sadness. Some people would need time to work through those emotions but in the counselor's opinion, Gohan had already started to do that—he'd confronted ChiChi and Goku on the experiences that had made his life so difficult and they'd acknowledged it. What so many people didn't understand was that this stage was not necessarily finding someone to blame, it was finding someone to validate. To say, "I see your pain and I acknowledge it." And they'd done that.

Could Gohan find someone to blame? Well, for some things yes—but for others no. And much like his mother would only bring herself anxiety by entertaining all the "ifs"so it would be the same with Gohan. Maybe that wasn't the right choice for everyone but if his current state was any indication, choosing radical acceptance of what had happened seemed the right choice for Gohan. Not the perfect choice but the best of what he had.

Gohan would likely have periods of anger, of sadness and that would be normal. Unlike so many movies and books, not everything was resolved with an explosion of anger and finger pointing. It was much more nuanced than that.

Process, center, reframe, move forward. Repeat as needed.

"Something I'm proud of?" Gohan repeated the question, tapping his fingers. This was getting easier over time, with repetition and practice but that question always made him stumble. He felt conceited answering it.

Silence reigned.

"Gohan, what are you thinking?"

His father's inquiry was rather welcomed. While they'd all begun to give more time to think before making assumptions, they'd also all begun to watch one another for signs of distress. Gohan didn't always notice when he started his own but his parents sure did. Looking down, he realized he was wringing his tail.

"I...I guess I feel like I'm being conceited if I answer that." This was another new thing they'd started. If you had troubling thoughts, instead of 'not bothering anyone' with them, you would be open about them. That took prodding for Gohan. Much as he was working on not "worrying so much what people thought" it was a tough shift. Reminders and gentle prods like this helped. "That it's silly to be proud of little things."

ChiChi set the card down and asked, "Tell me Gohan, do you think your father is silly when he's happy to have accomplished something? You know our first year of marriage, it took him a long time to get the hang of a shower?"

Now that was a funny sight to picture and Gohan found himself giggling. "He did?"

"Yep!" Goku didn't seem phased at all but then that was his way. "I kept floodin' the bathroom."

ChiChi shook her head with a smile. "But then one day, he prances in the kitchen, still dripping from the shower, saying "I did it Chi!"

Despite himself, Gohan smiled brightly. "And he was proud of it."

"'Course I was." Goku reached over, gently tossled his boy's hair. "It was somethin' new for me that took a little bit and I figured it out! Nothin' wrong with being proud of that." Goku turned serious but his face stayed warm. "The rest of the world don't get to decide what you're proud of. Only you do."

That was some food for thought. After another pause, Gohan said. "Well, then...I'm proud that I'm starting to work on myself. That I'm able to talk about what I'm feeling instead of keeping it all bundled up. That's what I'm proud of."

Leaning over, ChiChi kissed his forehead. "And a good choice to be proud of! That ain't an easy path but you're workin' so hard at it!"

Blushing a bit, Gohan remarked, "It...kinda feels wrong to be proud of it."

Goku stroked the boy's head. "And it'll feel like that for a little bit." He took hold of the dice himself. "But it gets easier, kinda like combatin' those thoughts?"

Nodding, Gohan said, "It is gettin' easier." He bit his lip. "It's hard but it's gettin' easier." Looking up, he said, "She DID say I needed to do self-compassion more. So, questions like that are good! Even if I don't like 'em."

Goku gave him a wink. "Well, that's how we grow, isn't it, Little Man?" Tossing the dice down, he moved his own piece. "I didn't wake up one day as World Champion. I lost. A lot. Fell a lot. But you move forward. Bit by bit. Step by step."

ChiChi gently squeezed the boy's shoulder. "And the best thing is that you don't have to grow alone."