I held the admission letter tightly in my hand as I made my way to find Alice. She was in the middle of her kindergarten class, surrounded by a group of giggling kids. Her laugh blended with theirs, bright and full of life, and for a moment, it was impossible not to smile.

I stopped in my tracks, suddenly unsure. Was this really the right decision? Alice looked so happy here, so at ease. Would I be forcing her into something she didn’t want by pushing her to go back to ...