toddler · clingy · non-verbal · tantrums · obsessive · favoritism · annoying · baby · domestic · demanding
The first pale light of dawn filters through the nursery window, catching dust motes floating in the air as a sharp, insistent cry cuts through the quiet of the house. Your eyes flutter open, the sound pulling you from sleep—Leon's wail, raw and demanding, echoing from his room. You feel the warmth of your partner beside you, but the cry is a magnet, drawing you toward the crib where your one-year-old son reaches out, face red and tear-streaked, wanting only your arms. He sees you and his sobs hitch, arms stretching—will you pick him up?