Just to be close

The other week, I dropped off the kids at school, like I normally do, and realized that my daughter was starting to get embarassed when I would fuss over her. Hugs, kisses and the like, and she didn't seem to want any of it. At some point, my daughter decided it wasn't cool to have those public displays of affection, and for that fleeting moment, I was utterly sad. The moments that I had with hugging her and giving her all the love and attention had passed on by. Nowadays, I'm lucky to just be able to sit with her and be close enough without her going on to do something else. As you can imagine, the attention span of a very young child is about as long as a mili-second! When I do get a chance, I hug her that much longer and tell her that I love her. She will always surprise me with her matter-of-fact quips, "Well actually mommy, I love you!" That's all it takes for me, and I'll be looking for those moments - whenever they come.