The Way We Stay – Story 2

Stories of parents who listen, children who learn, and love that stays.

The Shoes by the Door

Morning light slipped through the window.
Not bright.
Just enough.

Meera sat on the floor, her shoes beside her.
She turned one shoe.
Then the other.
She did not put them on.

Mama poured water into a bottle.
She noticed the quiet.

“Are your feet tired already?” Mama asked gently.

Meera shook her head.
“I don’t want to go today,” she said.

Mama sat down too.
Right there on the floor.
Same level.

“What feels heavy?” she asked.

Meera traced the lace with her finger.
“They have friends already,” she said.
“I don’t know where to sit.”

Mama listened.
She did not hurry the morning.
She did not say, “You’ll be fine.”

“That sounds lonely,” Mama said.

Meera looked up.
Someone had understood.

Mama picked up one shoe.
She held it open.

“Your feet don’t have to run,” she said.
“They just have to try.”

Meera slid her foot in.
Slowly.

Mama tied the lace.
Not tight.
Not loose.

“At the door,” Mama said,
“you can stop and breathe.
And after school, I’ll be here again.”

Meera stood up.
The shoes felt lighter now.

She reached for Mama’s hand.
Just for a moment.

Then she walked to the door.
The shoes went with her.
So did the knowing.

Love stayed.
Even when she left.

Bravery often looks like hesitation.
When we name the fear,
children find their step.

Have you ever felt nervous before going somewhere new?

Stand by the door together.
Take one slow breath.
Say, “I’ll be back.”