My ten-year-old daughter Lily had a habit I couldn’t stop thinking about.
Every afternoon, the second she came home from school, she rushed straight to the bathroom.
Not to the kitchen for a snack.
Not to tell me about her day.
Straight to the bathroom.
I’d hear her backpack hit the floor, then the lock click behind her a few seconds later.
At first, I told myself it was harmless. Kids go through strange phases. Maybe she liked feeling clean after school.
But over time, the routine stopped feeling normal.
It felt urgent.
Almost automatic.
One evening while I was folding laundry, I finally asked her about it.
“Lily,” I said casually, “why do you always shower the second you get home?”
She froze for the smallest moment.
Then she smiled too quickly.
“I just like being clean.”
The answer sat wrong with me immediately.
Lily wasn’t obsessive about cleanliness. If anything, she was usually the kind of kid who left socks under the couch and forgot wet towels on the floor.
That response didn’t sound natural.
It sounded memorized.
After that, I started paying closer attention.
