For a few weeks now, Willow has been like a baby bird airing out its wings, getting ready for that big leap from the nest. Willow has been letting go, in other words, releasing her white-knuckled grasp of furniture and parents and stepping out into the void, the wide open spaces of the living room floor. When she started this three weeks ago, I don't think she knew what she was doing. The first time I spotted her, she let go of my legs and walked about three feet to a nearby ottoman. Moments later, she walked from the ottoman out into the middle of the living room before falling to the floor; that was about four feet of walking. As any good parent would, I grabbed a phone to record her breakthrough in walking, and as any good kid would, she stopped doing whatever was camera-worthy. No matter. I got onto the tallest mountain and announced that Willow was walking. But she didn't do it again, and I had no video evidence. Sure, she stumbled here and lunged there, and she cre...
A father's journey to finding the right words.