Fourth grade brought more confidence, more participation, and more good days. His eczema was still there, but we learned to take advantage of the moments when he felt well enough to simply enjoy being a kid.

By third grade, we had settled into a routine. That doesn't mean things were easy. It simply meant eczema had become part of our daily life. We knew what each day would likely bring. We just didn't know how difficult that day would be. We had become good at managing eczema, but not at stopping it. Dr. Vic had once told us that many children outgrew eczema by around this age. I had held onto that hope for years. As third grade began, I realized we had quietly pa