I picture the moment all the time. I will open the door and look down; my foster child will be standing in front of me. I will kneel down to make eye contact, and I’ll smile to reassure.

Be kind to yourself—a lofty promise to ask of someone who isn't even old enough to tie her own shoes. I knew that, of course, but seeing her slap herself in disappointment like that made me ache.

Perseverance, confidence, compassion and respect are things that I value highly and that I am working every second of every day to instill in my children and I love that this movie helped demonstrate exactly the kind of people I want my children to be.

A fresh wave of mama guilt breaks over the back of my mind. Her teacher's instructions must appear to directly contradict my daily litany of warnings. Be careful. Hold my hand. Hold the railing. Hold on a minute. Slow down. Get down from there. Look both ways. Look out.

But kindness ALWAYS, always moves me to tears.

The truth is that my son does not fit out there, in your world, with most other children. There are few places for him to go where he can truly flourish. He suffers from a syndrome I’ll call “being different.” I suffer too.

It’s plain to see that all we need is more balance, but that’s a problem much easier acknowledged than solved. We’re on our way though, with baby steps, as I learn to enjoy our little moments and you clean more floors and bottles than you used to.

We sat on the couch, side by side, like we often do, her hand in my hair for comfort, while she chatted about her time at her nannies, her friends, …

“You’re a boy?” Lauren finally understood. Almost. “But…you’re wearing a dress.” Before Max found the words he wanted to use, Evan, Brave Knight Evan, put his arm around his little brother’s shoulders.

“No one in the family would ever hurt him.”