Needing mommy

One of the most special parts about being a parent is being the person whose presence completely comforts my child.  We had ECFE last night and while both kids have done really well being away from me, emotions can become more fragile the later into the evening it gets, and towards the end of class, I got called back to Soren's classroom because he "needed his mommy."  I walked into his classroom and saw him crying into his teacher's shoulder and as soon as I took him from her, he buried his face against my chest and heaved a sigh of relief.  I kissed his fuzzy little head and nuzzled cheek-to-cheek, enjoying the unbelievable softness of his skin. Back in the comfort of my arms, Soren's mood abruptly changed and thirty seconds later he was flashing coy smiles at his teachers and being a bashful ham. The little boy really did just need his mommy.

Sometimes being your child's prime object of comfort is more of a challenge than a blessing when you want to be able to enjoy child-free time.  Like most kids, Soren will inevitably go through a period of separation anxiety when even a brief separation could send him into hysterics.  We experienced this with Oliver when around a year of age I literally couldn't leave his sight, even if I continued talking to him from the next room.  After making it through his first phase of separation anxiety when I was the only one who could hold him, (not even Chris would do at one point) I didn't think his anxiety could get worse. 

When you're not trying to leave your child with a sitter or even run to the basement to throw in a load of wash, the bond between baby and parent is otherwise one of the most wonderful aspects of parenthood.  It's both an honor and a responsibility to be one of the very few people on this crowded earth who means so much to Oliver and Soren that whether I'm holding them, hugging them, playing with them or just standing on the periphery of their activity, I'm a source of comfort.