Warning: I Struck an Unconventional Deal With My Son

My 17-year-old son only barely survived the bullying and misery of being stuck between two angry siblings: a sister and a step-sister, the three of them less than two years apart. He thus perfected a non-confrontational façade to create an easement for himself around an environment thick with fury and profanity, keeping his role in the family by ruffling as few feathers as possible, often at his own expense.

No one felt great about hurting him, but we all did it sometimes. His hurt feelings...