During a family party, i discovered my little granddaughter’s head shaved. my daughter-in-law laughed it off: “come on, it’s just for fun.” i took my granddaughter home. my son accused me of being dramatic—until the next morning, when he pleaded, “please… let my wife explain.”

My name is Emily. I am seventy-one years old, and I never thought that at my age, I would have to live through something as horrible as what I’m about to tell you. When I saw my six-year-old granddaughter with her beautiful head completely shaved, I felt as if the world was collapsing beneath my feet. Her golden hair was gone, completely. All that was left was her little scalp, exposed and vulnerable, as if it had been run over by an industrial razor. My heart completely stopped.