Weeks later, she called, angry. She said we embarrassed her and undermined her authority.
Daniel answered quietly. “My responsibility isn’t to make him tough,” he said. “It’s to make him feel safe.”
She ended the call abruptly.
Things were never quite the same after that.
But as I watched Caleb laugh freely again, sleep without fear, and cling less tightly to that stuffed fox, I knew we had made the right choice.
Traditions can be meaningful.
But a child’s sense of safety matters more.
And any place that breaks that safety doesn’t deserve to be called home.
