“What?”

I clarified, “Sam has alopecia areata.” Hair loss is a symptom of an autoimmune disease. The documents contained it. I suppose I was unaware of how serious it was.

My husband gave me a disbelieving look. “You mean you were aware of this?”

“It wasn’t a huge deal to me!” I fired back. It’s only hair, and he’s a kid. Why is it important?

“You didn’t tell me, so it matters!”

A tiny voice cut us off just as I was about to continue our argument. “Mom? “Daddy?”

Sam was standing in the corridor with his small hands clutching the wall’s edge when we both turned around. Tears filled his large, blue eyes. “Are you returning me?”

My heart broke into a million fragments. I hurried to embrace him and embraced him. My voice broke as I answered, “No, sweetheart.” “You won’t be sent back. You will always be with us.

With a look of remorse on his face, my spouse stood still. He approached us slowly and knelt next to us. “I apologize, Sam,” he murmured quietly. “I was just… taken aback.” But no, you won’t be sent back. We adore you, and you are now our son.

Sam looked up at him and sniffed. “Really?”

My spouse softly ruffled Sam’s head and whispered, “Really.”

As I put Sam to bed that evening, I saw my husband hovering at the door, observing us. He later said that he was embarrassed by his response. “I simply wasn’t ready,” he admitted. But when I saw how terrified he was and how strongly he believed we didn’t want him, I saw how mistaken I was. I’ll perform better. I *aspire* to perform better.

And he did. My husband became Sam’s strongest supporter throughout the months, learning as much as he could about alopecia. To boost Sam’s confidence, he even began donning a matching bald cap on “no hair, don’t care” days.

Despite his lack of hair, Sam filled our lives with so much love and fun that we couldn’t picture our family without him. Even if they are the ones who cause your heart to develop the most, the nicest surprises can also come with difficulties.