My daughter’s unexpected question changed our plans for Father’s Day!

Father’s Day was supposed to be a family affair: sweet, simple, filled with paper gifts. Pancakes in the morning, a sticky hug from my daughter Lily, maybe a quiet evening afterward. Nothing dramatic.

Nothing that could change a life. But life rarely follows the script, and sometimes the truth arrives quietly, with innocence rather than shock. In my case, it came from the back seat of the car, spoken by a five-year-old boy clutching a purple crayon as if it were a magic wand.

Lily has always seen the world in her own vivid shades. She has theories about everything: the moon follows our car because it enjoys our jokes, puddles are “mirrors of the sky,” and the neighbor’s dog secretly speaks English.

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