My son used to love daycare—until one morning, he woke up screaming and refused to go back. I thought it was just a phase, but what I discovered left me shaken.I’m 29, a single mom to my three-year-old son, Johnny. Until a few weeks ago, daycare was his jam. But one day, that suddenly changed. He became increasingly reluctant to go. I thought it was just a tantrum until I saw the truth for myself.Whenever he had to go to daycare, Johnny would wake up excited, humming nonsense songs. He’d stuff his backpack with little action figures he wasn’t supposed to bring, and race down the stairs yelling, “Let’s go, Mommy!” — practically dragging me out the door.

Every morning felt like an adventure to him.But honestly, a part of me was a little jealous that my son couldn’t wait to get away from me and spend time with other people. Still, I never held it against him. I loved that he was in a safe space that he couldn’t wait to go to.But then, on one random Monday morning, everything changed.I was pouring my coffee when I heard it. A scream — a real one! The kind that makes your chest lock up. I dropped my mug, shattering it, and ran upstairs two steps at a time!Johnny was curled up in the corner of his room, clutching his blanket with both hands, his face red and soaked with tears. I knelt fast, heart pounding as I looked him over.