I told him he was just nervous.

He admitted that was probably true.

Our parenting arrangements changed as June grew.

Some visits became full weekends, always at a pace she could manage.

Sometimes she came home excited from trips to the planetarium.

Other times she came home upset because Warren had misunderstood something at school or had tried to answer a question before listening.

He learned to apologize.

I learned not to interpret every mistake as evidence that he would disappear again.