Needing to be Needed

I was off Monday, and I spent the day with my girls. It was fabulous.

We had "mommy-daughter time," as we like to say. Just the three of us. I haven't had so much fun in a long time.

First, we just hung out in our PJs, reading books and watching Playhouse Disney and Sesame Street.

Then, we got dressed and went to a park that we had never visited and had a picnic. We had a blast! This park has a great playground, and Ann Catherine and Lily had so much fun. I would help Lily go up the steps on the playground equipment, and then I would slide down with her. But, Ann Catherine? She was all over the place - and she didn't need my help.

You know, that's kind of hard for me. I watched her play and only one time did she say, "Mommy, I need your help." Other than that, she was crawling up ladders and coming down slides like a big girl.

It's not just as the playground. Ann Catherine has recently learned to put on her socks and shoes. In the past, I had to help her do those things. Now, she can do them by herself. And if I think she needs a little help, she'll say, "No, mommy. I can do it by myself." Sometimes I feel like she says that phrase ten times a day.

The problem is I need her to need me. And sometimes she does. Like tonight, when she fell outside and hurt her knee. We came inside and she said, "Mommy, hold me. I need you." I have to admit, I like hearing her say that. I think mothers have an instinctive need to be needed. And when our children start branching out and doing things on their own, we may be proud of them, but we also feel a little pain.

As our kids grow, I'm sure it becomes a little easier when they no longer need our help so much. But to be honest, I need to be needed, especially by my kids. I hope they need me a little while longer.