Protection: This episode is a spoken essay from Ghosts of Parenting titled Protection. It explores protection not as a set of actions, but as a living condition that settles into the body over years, the quiet vigilance that never fully switches off, even when nothing is wrong. Moving through ordinary moments and long stretches of time, the essay names how protection expands beyond physical safety into futures that cannot be controlled, how it becomes heavy when it tries to carry uncertainty, and how it softens when clearly seen. This is not advice or guidance, but a grounded reflection on the unseen load parents hold, the way love takes shape as readiness, and how recognising this field can bring clarity to something already being lived.