Big girl rollercoaster

My daughter has always been secure. She was comfortable walking into a nursery in a strange church or spending the night with relatives since before she was 2. A La Leche League friend, who was my nursing role model, told me breastfeeding helps a child's sense of security. I guess it worked. Yesterday, as Faith was on her way to spend the night with a single friend of mine, she wanted to get on the phone with me at work to tell me how much she was going to miss me. She was feigning melancholy, but I knew better. Just a short time before, she could hardly contain her giddiness about her overnighter. When I saw her this morning she exclaimed, "Mommy!" as she opened the door. She proudly showed me her artwork she had drawn with my friend and again told me she missed me. Then she blurted out that she stayed up until midnight! "It wasn't a school night," was the excuse I got from her and my friend. What a grown up, my girl. Wrong. About the time the fatigue took over in the afternoon while I was at work, she started crying. The plea, "I want my mommy," was repeated over and over. It's amazing how fast my big girl became my little girl all over again.
- Liz