Balloons
My one-year-old daughter was wrestling balloons in our living room. She seemed milliseconds away from quite a surprise.
“Should I step in?”
I take control. The moment is in my hands. If she’s in danger, I can stop it. If she’s not, I can just watch. The choice is mine.
“Should this be a lesson learned?”
I step back. I realize this is a lesson everyone learns at some point. She could learn right now — that justifies the risk.
“Can I let go?”
She rolls her whole weight across a balloon as if it were made to hold her, as if it couldn't pop. It can just be this.