It seemed to be working.
Maybe a little too well.
Honestly, I wasn't doing anything special.
Back at the orphanage, there had been all kinds of children.
Some cried loudly.
Some threw tantrums.
Some picked fights.
Those were easy to handle.
The difficult ones were always the mature kids.
The ones who insisted they were fine.
The ones who tried to solve everything alone.
The ones who sat quietly in a corner pretending nothing was wrong.
No matter how mature they acted, they were still children.
Eventually, the pressure became too much.
Then they'd hide somewhere and cry where nobody could see them.
For those kids, comforting them wasn't complicated.
You just had to give them an excuse.
You're not usually like this.
You're just being honest right now.
It's okay to lean on someone for a little while.
Once they believed that, the walls they built around themselves usually started crumbling.
Then all you had to do was listen.
Maybe share a snack.
Pat their head.
