My dad and I were putting up shelving in the garage as Ethan played outside on a beautiful, but blustery day. Ethan played in the driveway chasing the blowing leaves. A piece of paper from the shelving package got caught up in the wind and blew into the street. As Ethan chased after it, Grandpa yelled at him to not go onto the road.
The forcefulness of his voice shook Ethan. I went over to him and told him why grandpa had to yell like that. I suggested he thank Grandpa for helping him stay safe. Ethan declined at the time, but you never know what is working in the conscious of a child. A half hour after Grandpa and Grandma left, Ethan came up to me and shared this regret: “I didn’t say ‘thank you’ to Grandpa—because I was shy.”