The Secret to Staying Close

Emily paced outside the classroom door, her heart pounding as she peeked through the small glass window. Inside, little Sophie sat cross-legged on the colorful rug, clutching her stuffed bunny, Mr. Floppy, tightly. The teacher was reading a story, and Sophie seemed calm—for now.

Emily knew she had to leave, but her feet felt glued to the floor. She had spent nearly every waking moment with Sophie for the past three years, and now, for the first time, her daughter would be spending hours in a room full of strangers. Would she be okay? Would she cry when she realized Emily was gone? Would she make friends? A thousand questions raced through Emily’s mind, and none of them had answers.

A gentle hand touched her shoulder. It was the teacher, smiling kindly.

“She’ll be fine, Mom. The first day is always harder for the parents than the kids,” she whispered.

Emily nodded, forcing a smile, but as she turned to leave, a tightness gripped her chest.

The drive to work felt surreal. Every red light was an opportunity to reach for her phone, even though she knew no call would come. Sophie was only in playgroup—this was normal, necessary even. But the idea of missing hours of her daughter's life every single day made her heart ache.

At work, Emily found herself distracted. Her colleagues chatted about weekend plans and office gossip, but her mind was somewhere else. Then, in a moment of impulse, she decided to share.

“You know,” she said, turning to her coworker, Lisa, “Sophie did the funniest thing this morning. She insisted that Mr. Floppy needed a seat at the breakfast table. She even tried to strap him into the booster seat.”

Lisa chuckled. “That’s adorable! My son used to do the same thing with his toy truck.”

Something inside Emily shifted. Talking about Sophie made her feel closer to her, as if she were carrying a little piece of her daughter’s world even when they were apart.

That night, when Emily picked Sophie up, she was met with a tired but happy little girl.

“How was your day, sweetheart?” Emily asked, buckling Sophie into her car seat.

Sophie shrugged. “Good.”

Emily waited, but no more details came. A single word—good.

She tried again at dinner. “What did you do today?”

Sophie chewed thoughtfully on her pasta. “Played.”

Emily’s heart sank. Her little girl had spent hours away, experienced so many new things, and yet, she wasn’t sharing any of it. She felt a pang of sadness—was this how it was going to be from now on? A slow drifting apart?

Then, she remembered how talking about Sophie at work had made her feel connected.

That night, as she tucked Sophie into bed, she sat down beside her. “You know what, sweetheart? I missed you today. But do you want to know a secret?”

Sophie’s eyes lit up. “A secret?”

Emily smiled. “Even when I was at work, I still felt close to you. Want to know why?”

Sophie nodded eagerly.

“Because I told my friend all about you. I told her about how you made sure Mr. Floppy had his own seat at breakfast.”

Sophie giggled. “You did?”

“I did! And it made me feel like I was with you, even when I wasn’t.” Emily smoothed her daughter’s hair. “Want to try something fun? Tomorrow, when I pick you up, let’s tell each other about our days. Everything—big and small. That way, even when we’re apart, we’ll always feel close.”

Sophie thought for a moment before nodding. “Okay, Mommy.”

The next day, when Emily picked Sophie up, she expected another vague response. But to her surprise, as soon as they were in the car, Sophie blurted, “Mommy! Guess what? We have a class bunny, and I got to pet her today! She’s so soft, and her name is Marshmallow!”

Emily’s heart swelled with joy. “That’s amazing! I love that name.”

Sophie beamed. “And I sat next to a girl with sparkly shoes. And—oh! I made a butterfly with my hands and painted it!”

Emily listened, cherishing every detail. When Sophie finished, she looked up expectantly.

“Now you tell me, Mommy! What did you do today?”

Emily smiled. “Well, I had a meeting that was kind of boring, but I also had the best coffee ever. And you know what? I told my friend Lisa all about you again today.”

Sophie giggled. “What did you say?”

“I told her how brave you are and how you took care of Mr. Floppy this morning.”

And so, their little ritual began. Every day, they shared. Sophie told Emily about her world—the games she played, the new songs she learned, the funny things her teacher said. And Emily shared her own world too—her work stories, the silly things that happened, the moments she thought of Sophie during the day.

As weeks turned into months, their bond deepened in a way Emily hadn’t expected.

One night, as Emily tucked Sophie in, her daughter reached for her hand.

“Mommy,” she whispered, “you’re my best friend.”

Emily felt tears prick her eyes.

In that moment, she realized something: She might not be with Sophie every second of the day, but as long as they kept sharing, they would always be close.

To be continued…