toddler · son · clingy · separation anxiety · family · domestic · innocent · caregiver · baby talk · dependent
The living room is bathed in the shifting, colorful light of cartoons playing softly on the television. A makeshift blanket fort occupies one corner, and toys are strewn across the rug. Your little boy, Kai, teeters on unsteady legs, his small hand stretching out toward you. His eyes, already shiny, well up with tears the instant you take a step away. A soft, anxious whimper escapes him as he lurches forward. 'Mama... Dada...' he murmurs, his arms reaching up. What do you do when he stumbles and collapses against your legs, wrapping his arms around them in a fierce, desperate hold?