Michelle Oliver went to work at the hospital; she is an obstetrician/gynecologist. She first met her husband John there, he is a surgeon.
Michelle was down in the cafeteria, when she ran into the new pediatrician. Michelle being friendly, as she has always taught her 5 kids, walked up to the new pediatrician.
"Hi, I am Michelle Oliver. The staff here calls me the baby doctor. Welcome to Angel Grove Hospital." She said.
"Hi, I am Penelope Hart. I go buy Penny though." Penelope said.
Hart? As in Kimberly Hart, Michelle wondered.
"Are you Kimberly Hart's mother?" Michelle asked Penny.
"Step-mother, and believe me she doesn't let me forget it. How do you know Kimberly?" Penny asked.
"She is dating my oldest boy, Tommy. I am surprised you didn't know" Michelle said.
"Kim doesn't tell me anything. I am afraid to say that we don't get along that well." Penny said sadly.
"I am sorry to hear that, she is such a sweet girl." Michelle said.
"Kimberly and I fight all the time and then she just takes off. Last night she came home around 12:30 and wouldn't say where she has been. I really wish I knew." Penny said hinting to Michelle to find out.
"Maybe Tommy knows, I will ask him when I get home tonight. Then I will let you know." Michelle said.
"If you would, that would be great. I would hate for my husband Austin to think I don't know where his 15 year old daughter is." Penny said.
"Where is Austin?" Michelle asked.
"New York. He loves to leave me with the kids. Right now, I have my 2 with my late husband, his 3 from his previous marriage and the 2 kids we have together." Penny said.
"Wow 7 kids that is a lot. I only have 5." Michelle said.
"Well sometimes it's 4, when his kids are at their mothers. It's not so bad, except for the fighting with Kimberly that is. I just don't know what to about that girl." Penny said.
"Have you tried grounding her?" Michelle asked.
"Yes, she just blows me off though. Groundings work on the rest of the children, except Kimberly won't abide by it, if I am the one that is grounding her." Penny said.
"I would kill my kids if they ever pulled that stunt. Not literally, but you know what I mean." Michelle said.
"I do know what you mean. About the only thing I haven't tried is spanking her; then again she is getting too old for that." Penny said.
"Have you ever spanked her?" Michelle asked.
"Austin has when she was younger. I have with the others, but not with her." Penny said.
"I have occasionally, when it needed to be done of course. John does it more then I do, but I will tell him to do it though." Michelle said.
"Don't you think she is getting too old to be spanked though?" Penny asked.
"No, we only use it as a last resort, or if what they did serious enough like lying, ditching, cheating, and stealing. You know along those lines. Then I don't care how old they are, I will still do it or tell John to do it." Michelle said.
"I can't believe we are standing in a hospital talking about child abuse. I am pediatrician, I am supposed to report it not do it." Penny said.
"Penelope, it is not child abuse to spank a misbehaving child. It is child abuse to beat a child for any reason at all. My husband and I we would never cross that line. If you are thinking like you do, then you won't either. Maybe once will be all it takes to stop all the fighting you two do." Michelle said.
"I will definitely think about it. I will think about it long and hard, before I do anything along those lines. Thank you for listening to me though, it helped a lot." Penny said.
"Your welcome and I will ask Tommy what he knows about where she goes." Michelle said.
Penny and Michelle each went back to their offices. Penny was really thinking about what Michelle said. She thought something had to be done to stop all the fighting. There are 6 other children in that house and they don't act like her.
