What is it about Moms?

I'm traveling to Nashville tomorrow to attend the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) national convention. I'll be gone three days--that's it, three short days.
And Christa is none too thrilled about my leaving.

She's clung to me and cried. She's crawled up into my lap and wrapped her arms around me and said, "I don't want you to go."

The funny thing is, I remember doing the same thing to my mom when she went away for a weekend--a very rare occurence for my mom, I might add. I'm sure the last thing she saw in her rearview mirror was my woebegone face watching her drive away.

Sorry about that, Mom.

Christa has a wonderful, caring dad. She has three older siblings who love her too. But in some ways I am the center of her universe. And she doesn't like me messing with her "orbit" and throwing her off kilter by going away for a weekend.

It's part of a mom's job description: "Center of a child's universe."

And yet, even as Christa holds on to me, I know part of my responsiblity is to love my child enough to encourage her to let go of me. Not so I get my breathing space--although I need some of that too--but so she is able to grab ahold of all that is waiting for her out in the world.

I'm not rushing her growing up--but I don't want her to miss it, either.