Kids have been talking about nothing but the kittens since they got home, wondering how they're doing, etc.
Does he not get how mean and cold that was to them? Why couldn't he have gotten the kittens on a day when the kids could be with him?
Because he's clueless. Sincerely. He is so out of touch with his kids that this just doesn't occur to him.
And whether they mean to or not, your kids are filing this away in the back of their brains. Trust me on that, I see this coming out of my 18-year old right now.
