Show me
how you feel

He “doesn’t want to talk about it.”
But Mom finds another way to help
her son transform painful emotions.

One spring evening, I was having dinner with my 11-year-old son. School was winding down, and we were both looking forward to the relaxed days and long evenings of summer. As we chatted, I watched him as I always do, appreciating his freckled face and sparkly eyes. He sailed along the subjects of sleeping in, messing around, vacations, and hanging out with friends.

Then he hit a snag. There was a subtle change in his expression and demeanor. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have missed it. Even

with paying attention, I could easily not have seen it. For a split second his expression changed to something that seemed to plead Please don’t get mad at me, combined with the blankness of confusion. His freckled face lost its spark as he lowered his eyes and seemed to try to stuff some thought back into his subconscious. I asked if everything was OK.

“Yeah, why?” He shrugged, as if I should dismiss my instinct and pretend I hadn’t seen what I’d seen.