My MIL never lets anyone inside her room. Sometimes at night, I hear unusual sounds coming from it, like as a baby sobbing. When I asked, she smiled and said it was only the TV. But one day, she failed to shut the door in a rush, and I got in after being inquisitive about it for years.

My jaw dropped when I discovered numerous life-sized baby dolls. They had a button on their heart that, when pressed, produced a variety of baby sounds. When I approached my MIL about it, she was mortified.

She told me that she makes these dolls by hand for people who have lost babies or are unable to have them. She looks after herself with the money and avoids troubling us. It was such a wonderful and considerate disclosure that I assured her there was nothing to be embarrassed about; in fact, I was proud of her. Her secret drew us closer.