Kassie woke at 5:47 AM on Emma’s fifth birthday to the sound of her daughter singing “Happy Birthday” to herself from her bedroom down the hall. The sweet, slightly off-key melody made Kassie smile before she was fully awake, and she lay in bed for a moment listening to Emma’s excited chatter to her stuffed animals about all the birthday festivities to come.
“Today is my birthday, Mr. Elephant! I’m five whole years old now, which means I’m practically a grown-up!”
Kassie stretched and checked her phone, scrolling through the birthday wishes that had already started appearing on her f*******: timeline. Photos from Emma’s baby days that friends had shared, heart emojis from family members, early morning birthday greetings from other parents who understood that five-year-olds didn’t believe
