My Daughter Is Pulling Away From Me And I Am Struggling

This morning my daughter leaned in to hug me, but kept her arms at her sides. She was trying to be quick and pull away but I grabbed her and held on longer.

“I need a hug, lady,” I said. I’ve called her lady since she was a tiny 6-pound morsel who fit perfectly in the nook of my arm. I carried her like that everywhere– mostly because she came out of my womb looking up at me in awe and didn’t stop until she was about 4. But also, because she was so happy there.

She used to lie contentedly nex...