They deserved to grow up as people, not as a satisfying clip strangers watched on their phones between other clips, not as the punchline in a story about a man’s karma.

The internet wanted to make them a symbol.

I wanted them to be children.

Those two wishes could not both be served, and the choice, for me, was not close.

I have never once regretted the platform I walked away from that week.

My children are not content.

They were never going to be content.

Whatever I built, I was going to build it with my own hands, the way I always had, and leave them out of the shop window entirely.