I stood in front of it for a long time.
In the drawing, I was laughing without covering my mouth.
And I realized that, without intending to, I had passed something on to my daughter that I wished somebody had taught me when I was her age.
You can spend years trying to become the person someone else wants you to be.
You can shave something, hide something, change something, or silence a part of yourself because you’re frightened that someone will stop loving you.
But affection that requires you to feel ashamed of who you are comes at a painful price.
And sometimes the bravest thing you can do is accept that somebody may be disappointed when you finally refuse to pay it.
A few days later, Emma came downstairs wearing a short-sleeved shirt.
She reached for an apple, grabbed her backpack, and headed toward the front door.
She wasn’t tugging at her sleeves.
