The first birth is extraordinarily exciting, isn’t it? My wife and I were married less than a year when our firstborn came along. We knew right away that she was the most beautiful, most intelligent, most promising human being that had ever come into this world!

Parenting the firstborn is an experiment in everything new. First smile, first coo, first steps, first words… One first we did not anticipate, however, was the first time our little Kristyn recognized herself in the mirror. We had often held her up in front of the mirror when we tried new outfits on her. “Isn’t she cute?”

For many months, Kristyn did not “see” herself when we did this. We were enamored by her wondrous beauty but she did not lock eyes with her own image reflected back. She was not self- aware.

Then one day it happened.…