Little Minea had just finished her meal, her cheeks still sticky with bits of mashed banana. Mom gently wiped her face, then realized she needed a tissue to clean up properly.
“Wait here, Minea. Mommy’s just grabbing the tissue,” she said softly, standing up.
But the moment Mom turned to walk away, Minea’s face changed.
“Nooo!” she squeaked in panic, her tiny arms flailing as she grabbed Mom’s shirt with both hands. Her eyes widened, her lips trembled, and then—she cried.
Loudly.
Desperately.
As if Mom had planned to leave forever.
Mom paused, surprised by the sudden storm of emotions. “Sweetheart, Mommy’s not leaving! Just a second, okay?”
But Minea wasn’t convinced.
She held on tighter, pulling herself onto Mom’s lap and burying her face in her chest. Her little body trembled as she whimpered, refusing to be left behind even for one minute. She didn’t care about the sticky face. She didn’t care about the mess.
She only wanted her mom—right now.
Seeing her daughter this distressed melted Mom’s heart. She sat back down, hugging Minea close and whispering gently, “Okay, okay… I’m not going anywhere, baby.”
Minea sniffled, then peeked up with teary eyes, finally settling down when she felt the warmth of Mom’s arms again.
Mom chuckled, kissing the top of her fuzzy head. “You’re such a clingy little monkey.”
And for now, the tissue could wait.
Because for Minea, love and closeness were more important than anything else in the world.
Even a clean face.
