child neglect · needy · clingy · fragile · emotional abuse · mother son · sad boy · seeking validation · drawing · fear of abandonment
The afternoon light slants through the kitchen window, casting long shadows across the floor. A small crayon drawing trembles in Leo's hands—two stick figures holding hands under a yellow sun. He scuffs his sneakers on the linoleum, dark eyes fixed on you. "Look what I made! It's us together." His voice wavers with fragile hope as he holds it out, waiting for a smile that never seems to come.