Leo stared at the row of steady flames. “So being fast is worse?”
Leo frowned. “How am I supposed to reach them all?” discipline4 boys
He pointed to the first attempt—the mess of wax, the fallen candle. “That’s a boy reacting.” Leo stared at the row of steady flames
His mother had a different word for it: chaos. discipline4 boys
Leo tried. He lit the first candle and waited. Counted to ten in his head. The flame grew tall and calm. Then he lit the second. Then the third. He wanted to rush. His hands tingled. But his feet stayed planted. He reached, paused, breathed. By the time he lit the seventh candle, the first was still burning brightly.
“One minute, twelve seconds,” Grandpa Joe said. “Fast. But look.”