“One day my little daughter told me, ‘Mom, every time Grandpa gives me a bath, he asks me to play a game. I have to close my eyes, and while they’re closed, he does something…’ I froze. The next day, I opened the bathroom door without warning… and what I saw made my legs start shakingr told me, ‘Mom, every time Grandpa gives me a bath, he asks me to play a game. I have to close my eyes, and while they’re closed, he does something…’ I froze. The next day, I opened the bathroom door without warning… and what I saw made my legs start shaking

My father didn’t want that fear to get worse.

So he invented a game.

Emily would close her eyes, and Dad would make sounds using different bath toys—the rubber duck, a little cup, a water bottle.

While she tried to guess which toy was making the sound, he carefully rinsed the shampoo from her hair.

Every time she guessed correctly, she earned one “star.”

After ten stars, Grandpa urm took her out for ice cream.

I stood in the doorway, feeling tears fill my eyes.

Dad looked at me.

He understood immediately.

“You were scared, weren’t you?”

I couldn’t lie.

“Yes.”