Dallas, Texas

"No darlin', you're not being oversensitive, you're being a good, loving mother to our son", placing his glass down, JR stepped closer to his wife. Her deep protectiveness and wish to create a good, happy life for John Ross pleased him greatly, because as unfortunate as it was, she was right, neither of them had had an ideal upbringing and it was a scary and saddening thought to imagine John Ross having the same feelings about his childhood. He hated to admit it, but she was also right about his father, he was a hypocrite and his behaviour was often driven by his own selfish desires rather than because he was truly doing the best for everyone overall. It worked at Ewing Oil; ambition, willingness to do just about anything, and the ability to make large decisions without letting the impact on real people get to him; those things were all an asset to him in business, but in his personal life, the positive side was less apparent. It was one thing for Jock to make demands of Ewing Oil's employees, but it was another for him to do the same to his adult son and daughter-in-law. There were ways to make an opinion known and to disagree on things without one or both parties coming away angry and upset; JR knew that, it had taken his mother, wife and Doctor Williams for him to understand and know how to do so, but he did understand and did see the benefit of thoughtful communication.

In recent months, his and Sue Ellen's relationship had really changed and developed, in a very good way; his relationship with his father had also changed, though those changes had been both good and bad depending on whose perspective the changes were seen from. In the past, JR had worked very hard to please his father, not only because he wanted his love and respect, but because he also wanted Ewing Oil; he had Ewing Oil now though, not completely just yet, but he had the guarantee it would all be his one day, so in some aspects, he had been able to relax. Without the fear that Ewing Oil would be taken away from him and everything he worked hard to achieve would disappear, he felt a little more free to make large decisions and changes in the company, and after listening to Doctor Williams' wise words, he felt a little more confident speaking up when personal issues arose. Prior to the previous year, he never would have spoken to his father or supported Sue Ellen speaking to his father in the manner they had a few months ago when setting the boundaries, and earlier in the day when reiterating their position, but things were different now. It was silly for him, a grown man, to have been so fearful of his father's wrath, and it was harmful to his and Sue Ellen's relationship to allow his father to control the way they acted. Of course, his father had been right in some areas, he had been disappointed to find out about JR's repeated caddish behaviour and he hadn't hesitated to tell him so, however, now that things were different and both JR and Sue Ellen believed JR's reformed self was here to stay, Jock really didn't need to concern himself with their relationship. Additionally, although Jock was a father to three sons, to John Ross, he was just a grandfather and there was no need or request for him to act in the role of father to him. It would be appreciated if he spent constructive quality time with him, but when it came to the way his parents were raising him, his opinion wasn't nearly as sought-after or valued.

For JR, there was no question as to where his loyalties regarding John Ross lay. He and Sue Ellen had been through a lot and had had a lot of detailed discussions about what they wanted in the present and for the future, and when it came to acting on those wants, his position was not easily swayed. Whether John Ross took a nap at Southfork or at their new home was largely unimportant in the grand scheme of things, but he understood why his father's words had upset Sue Ellen. Not only had he belittled her decision, he had also made a point to tell her exactly what he thought of her general attitude toward motherhood. He was allowed to think it was a bit much for her to be so willing and serious about serving John Ross' needs and making sure he was happy, but surely he had to know when it was appropriate to say so and when it was more appropriate to keep his mouth shut. Sue Ellen had been able to defend herself and her behaviour, so it wasn't all bad, but JR understood why she was so irritated and upset by having to do so. It had taken a lot of work for her to get to a point where she was confident about her own thoughts and abilities, but that didn't mean she was completely immune to negative emotion, and to hear someone opposing her deeply thought out perspective, was frustrating and upsetting. JR wanted the same thing as she did, he wanted for them to have a nice, uncomplicated, happy life together, and based on his own experience and what they had discussed many times, he really didn't see an issue with giving John Ross a lot of love or attention.

Although he hadn't said a lot to Sue Ellen in response to her earlier question, he could tell from her expression that she was relieved and pleased to hear his reassurance. "You're right, it wasn't fair or right for daddy to say what he did and you're not being oversensitive by reacting this way. Remember what Doctor Williams said? It's only natural for you, and me, to have a strong desire to protect our son, and it's perfectly normal for us, being aware of our own childhoods, to make the conscious decision to attempt to give our son a different experience. So no, I don't think you are being oversensitive and I don't think daddy was right when he said our actions will cause more harm than good", gently brushing his hand across her cheek and then lightly taking hold of her hand as he spoke, he knew she was relaxing and her mood was improving. He really didn't want to spend their afternoon analysing what had happened earlier, but he knew better than to try and move on too quickly; things would change and improve in their own time, and they would have the happy, enjoyable afternoon alone they had been so excited about earlier. Their day was not ruined, they had just hit a bump in the road, but he was sure that with the right attention and a small discussion about what to do next, it wouldn't be long before the events of the early afternoon were not the main thing on their minds anymore.

To be continued…