A thought ran rampant in my mind the other day, as my daughter grabbed her sippy cup and started drinking water. I looked at her and thought, "SHE DOESN'T NEED ME ANYMORE!!!". Fast forward a few hours later, her father was carrying her, I pass by her and she reaches out screaming, "MAAAAAAMMMAAAAA". My immediate thought was, "SHE STILL NEEDS ME!!!!"
(Yes, my inner monologues go up a few octaves from time to time.)
In all honesty though, the entire thing made me think of my own parents and parenting in general. It hit me that needing and wanting is quite the cycle in this journey of being a parent. She needs me right now. Regardless of what I may dramatically concoct in my head, the obvious truth is that she will need me for a while. Then, at some point in her teens, she will stop. She will think that she knows everything known to man and that she does not need me. Every now and then she will need my shoulder, I will give it to her, and then she will continue to not need me. Then, one day (if I am lucky), she will go back to needing me again and I will be there every step of the way. I did it to my parents and she will more than likely do it to me.
Such is life.
It is quite the cycle.