Stories of parents who listen, children who learn, and love that stays.
Story 1: The Light That Stayed
The room was quiet.
Not the happy kind of quiet.
The kind that feels too big.
Arun lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling.
The shapes above him looked different at night.
A shadow near the door seemed to move when he blinked.
He pulled the blanket closer to his chin.
“Mama?” he called, softly.
No answer.
He tried again, louder this time.
“Mama?”
The door opened a little.
Light from the hallway slipped into the room like a thin ribbon.
Mama stepped in.
She did not rush.
She did not ask, “Why are you awake?”
She sat beside the bed.
“What happened?” she asked.
Arun pointed to the corner.
“It feels… strange,” he said.
“I don’t like the dark today.”
Mama looked where he pointed.
She saw the same corner she had always seen.
But she didn’t say that.
She nodded.
“Some nights feel heavier,” she said.
“Even the dark can feel different.”
Arun’s shoulders dropped a little.
Mama reached for the small lamp near the bed.
She turned it on.
A warm glow filled the room.
“This light can stay,” she said.
“Just like me.”
Arun watched the shadows soften.
The corner looked smaller now.
Mama stayed seated.
She did not check her phone.
She did not look at the clock.
She stayed.
Arun’s breathing slowed.
His fingers loosened their grip on the blanket.
“Will you stay until I sleep?” he asked.
Mama smiled.
“I’m already here.”
The room felt different now.
Not brighter.
Safer.
Arun’s eyes closed.
The light stayed on.
Mama stayed too.
And that was enough.
🌿 A Quiet Moment for Parents
Some fears don’t need fixing.
They need company.
Love stays when we do.
💬 A Question to Ask Your Child
What do you think made Arun feel better that night?
❤️ A Small Together Moment
Sit quietly together for one minute.
Turn on a soft light.
Breathe slowly and stay.
Review The Way We Stay – Story 1: The Light That Stayed.