course,” I replied.
Then he asked, “Mom, do you think I’ll make more friends someday?”
I smiled.
“I think you will, sweetheart.”
He considered that before answering.
“But Oliver is my best friend.”
And for the first time since that frightening phone call, I understood what we’d almost missed.
Our son hadn’t needed us to make his world smaller so nothing could ever hurt him.
He needed us to listen, support him, and help him navigate difficult moments without taking away the opportunities he loved.
A few days later, Ethan
