Usually, I’m sitting at the table, reading the paper and drinking my first cup of coffee when Camille appears, sucking her thumb and clutching her blankie, and wordlessly climbs up in my lap. For a few minutes, I sit there with my arms around her, resting my cheek on the top of her soft braids.
We’ve started calling it the morning cuddle. If something disrupts the morning routine and we miss it, she’ll come lookiing for it later. "Mommy, we didn’t get our cuddle," or "Mommy, we didn’t get enough cuddle." And I’ve been the one to remind her a time or two. The truth is, I need it as much as she does.
For a few minutes, she gets to be a baby again, and I get to be the Mommy that can make everything OK. And I send up a silent prayer that these are the moments she remembers. Not the ones where I yell or criticize or make her do push-ups.
I love you, Camille. And you will always be my baby.
4 Comments
How sweet & precious!
She’ll remember. And years from now, she will appreciate that you cared enough to yell to get her attention and punish her when needed. That’s what you do when you care. Children feel safer when there are boundaries, regardless of how much they protest at the time. Just look how good you turned out!!!! Love you.
Amen
How sweet!!! Sometimes I still want to be mom’s little girl!!!!