The front door swings open. She drops her backpack with a discouraged huff. I step toward her, smiling, words gentle enough to steady her frustration. “She says she won’t be my friend anymore if I’m friends with the new girl.” Tears and hugs follow. I exhale my own quiet frustration. Childhood power struggles at their finest. You raise your kids to see the outsider, to notice the lonely, to comfort the hurting—yet when kindness prevails, adversity often follows. Soothing her hurt with words...