New mommy

He slammed doors.
He yelled at his sister.
He whined "But Mo-om" over and over.
And finally Asher told Turtle and Pucah, his alter-ego stuffed turtle and penguin, that
"I want a new mommy."

I felt tears starting to well to the corners of my eyes and questioned my interactions with him. My tears didn't come from worries that he would never love me again or that he really wanted to discard me. But more from realizing he is learning to identify himself away from me enough to understand his own independence from his mommy.

Of course I want him to stand strong in his own identity and not lean on me. But his comprehension is a sign of growing up and following the natural progression of separation from his momm and daddy. I feel like the number of those signs I see are snowballing and they always confront me with the reality of the shortness of childhood.

Even though I may be a mean mommy I love my boy and told him he will never be able to run away.

I will always be his mommy.