I wrote, Believe that it matters enough to listen.

Then I crossed out the word believe and wrote, Listen carefully, protect first, and find out what happened.

I didn’t want to promise I would understand every situation instantly.

I wanted to promise I would never dismiss fear because an adult had a more convenient explanation.

At home, Hailey became more talkative.

She told me about classroom friendships, which books she thought were boring, and how Lucy’s driving practice made Rachel grip the door handle.

She also asked harder questions.