"Three times," Danny sniffled, holding up three fingers as tears welled up in his eyes.

I sighed, not knowing how to comfort him.

After a moment, he spoke again in a soft voice, "Mom, you always buy me the best stuff, but that's not what I want. I just wanna play with the other kids. We've never had any playdates at our house, and no one ever invites me over. I don't have any friends at school."

My hands trembled as his words hit me straight in the ...