P was twitching to figure out her schedule so we looked at the calendar and had a sometimes difficult discussion about the project and how long she would stick around to help. I wTt she should do what worked for her. I also said I was concerned that she'd help with demolition and then have to leave, like with the bathroom (shouldn't have said it that way...)
Later, I noted that she seemed frustrated. That was the opening... She didn't want to be blamed for anything about the bathroom project. It's not her fault that it took me so long. She would have finished it in a week. It's not her fault that I made any of the decisions that made it more difficult. It's not her fault that I hadn't already started the roof by the time she arrived. I listened. I agreed. I validated. I observed. I didn't argue. I silently grieved.
Seems she was feeling very defensive about thinking she was being blamed. Plenty of "you flunked the test" stuff to throw in a pinch. Pretty discouraging to hear. Oh well. It is what it is right now.
During the whole discussion about the scheduling, P did a really impressive job of stating her limits and considerations. She's always acted offended at the concept of boundaries, but she's doing a really good job of implementing them. I'm happy to see that. It's actually passing one of my tests.
The 3 month winter gig is looking unlikely, so P proposed a one month alternative. Better than nothing.
