Some parents have a knack for timing, but these two seem to treat their son’s milestones as prime opportunities to drop emotional bombs. Every important day, school plays, birthdays, graduations, even a simple assessment, gets hijacked by a fresh dose of bad news, always delivered with the kind of dramatic flair usually reserved for soap operas. The lead role in the school play comes with a backstage announcement about an ill great-grandma. A birthday party is prefaced with the revelation that the family dog is already gone. Graduation is overshadowed by a cancer diagnosis that’s been kept secret for months, just waiting for the perfect moment to steal the spotlight.