My in-laws sent my 6-year-old daughter a cute brown teddy bear for her birthday. She smiled for a second, then suddenly froze and asked, “Mommy, what is it?

bear, and hugged it right away. It was soft, brown, and almost ridiculously cute, with shiny black eyes, a stitched smile, and a small red bow around its neck.

For three seconds, Lily looked delighted.

Then she went rigid.

Her arms loosened around the bear. Her smile vanished.

“Mommy,” she whispered, holding it away from herself. “What is it?”

I moved closer.continue reading …