vintage_rae

I used to think my dad just had a weird habit. Every night, no matter how late it was, he’d check if I was asleep. Like actually come into my room, stand there for a second, then leave. I remember pretending to sleep sometimes just to see how long he’d stay. Sometimes he’d fix my blanket, sometimes he’d just sigh and walk out. As I got older, I thought it was kinda annoying. Like… why are you still doing that? One night I finally asked him. He just shrugged and said, “Just checking.” Years later, my mom told me the real reason. When I was a baby, I got really sick out of nowhere. Stopped breathing in my sleep. They barely made it to the hospital in time. After that, he never fully trusted “quiet.” So every night, for years… he just needed to see my chest rise at least once before he could relax. 🥹