An eight-year-old girl sleeps alone, but every morning she complains that her bed feels “too small.” When her mother checks the security camera at 2 a.m., she breaks down in silent tears….

THE BED THAT FELT TOO SMALL AT 2 A.M.

My name is Laura Mitchell.

My family lives in a quiet two-story house in the suburbs of San Jose, California—a place that is always filled with sunlight during the day, yet so silent at night that you can hear the ticking of the clock echoing from the living room.

My husband and I have only one child, a daughter named Emily, who is eight years old.

From the very beginning, we agreed that we would have just one child.

Not because we were selfish.
Not because we feared hardship.
But because we wanted to give her everything we possibly could.

The house, worth nearly $780,000, was purchased after more than ten years of saving. Emily’s education fund was set up when she was still a baby. I had even planned her college path before she could properly read.

More than anything, I wanted to teach her independence.

A Child Who Slept Alone from an Early Age

When Emily was still in preschool, I taught her to sleep in her own room.

It wasn’t because I didn’t love her. On the contrary—I loved her enough to understand that
a child cannot grow if they always cling to an adult’s arms.

Emily’s bedroom was the most beautiful room in the house.