I looked at my father. He smiled.
“If your mom doesn’t mind.”
“Of course,” I said.
But I had already made up my mind. Ten minutes later, I heard the water running.
Then Emily laughing. I slowly walked toward the bathroom. The door was closed, but not locked. I stepped close enough toExplore Bath Decor
hear them. Dad said,
“Okay, close your eyes now. No cheating.”
“They’re closed.”
“And now, guess.”
A few seconds of silence.
Then Emily burst out laughing.
“I know!”
That was when I couldn’t wait any longer. Without knocking, I opened the door.Compare Windows
“Dad!” What happened next read in the comments 👇‼️👇‼️
He turned around in surprise.
And what I saw was so far from every terrible thing my mind had imagined that I just stood there for a few seconds.
Emily was sitting safely in the tub, surrounded by bubbles and bath toys.Browse Toys
Her eyes were closed.
My father was holding a small cup in one hand, using it to rinse her hair, while in the other hand he held one of Emily’s rubber ducks.
“Mom,” Emily laughed, “you ruined the game!”
I looked at them, confused.
“What game?”
Dad slowly smiled.
“Guess the sound.”
It turned out that a few months earlier, Emily had started being afraid of having her hair washed because shampoo had once gotten into her eyes.
Every bath had become stressful.Explore Bath Decor
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 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.”
He was quiet for a moment.
Then he said,
“You did the right thing by checking.”
I looked at him in surprise.
He continued,
“A mother should always make sure her child is safe. I should have explained our game to you sooner.”Track Pregnancy
Emily opened her eyes.
“Mom, I told you Grandpa wasn’t doing anything bad.”
I walked over and kissed her forehead.
That evening, when Dad was getting ready to leave, he stopped by the door and said quietly,
“By the way, this game isn’t new.”
“What do you mean?”
He smiled.
“You were afraid of having your hair washed too. When you were five, I played the same game with you.”Try New Games
I froze.
Then suddenly, I remembered.
Closed eyes.
The sound of water.
My father’s voice:
“Guess what it is.”
I had simply forgotten.
That moment taught me something.
Sometimes fear can make even a beautiful memory look suspicious.Get Writing Tools
But I also understood something else.
I didn’t regret opening that door.
Because when it comes to a child’s safety, it is better to check one extra time than one time too few.
And the following Sunday, I sat outside the bathroom and listened as Emily shouted through laughter,
“It was the duck, Grandpa! I guessed it again!”
And this time, I smiled too.
