My Daughter Was 15 When She Finally Looked Me in the Eye and Whispered, “I Don’t Tell Dad When I’m Hurting Anymore. He Says I Only Do It for Attention.” The Next Afternoon, I Checked Her Out of School and Drove Her to the Hospital Without a Word to My Husband. Halfway Through the Scan, the Technician Went Completely Quiet.

“Paige, not every little tummy ache is a national crisis, so please stop fishing for attention every single time you get bored.”

His cruel words made my daughter’s thin shoulders sag right away, and she turned and walked back up the stairs into her dark bedroom.

I rushed up the stairs right behind her, but through the closed door she simply kept saying she was fine and wanted to be left alone for the rest of the night.

Only much later did I understand that she wasn’t trying to shut me out, but was trying to protect herself from yet another family fight where her pain was treated like a crime.

Over the next several weeks, Paige pulled away from our family life completely, quitting her place on the volleyball team and staying curled up under her blankets every night.