We are superglued

If you want to know how to make your kid stick to you, with a stickiness surpassing even the best brand of superglue, try living together in a foreign land.

I'm serious. It doesn't get any better than that. It's the invisible, invincible and indestructible kind of superglue.

Let me tell you how it works.

Example #1
Mummy wants to cook in the kitchen. Kid comes running up, screaming "Mummmmmyyy!" and then clings on to your leg as if she is a koala bear and you are the tree trunk. You try to distract her with toys, with snacks and even resort to asking Barney for help despite she has watched it 5 times already. But no, this is one smart koala bear. She continues to pull and tug at your leg, you have no choice but to carry her up as you are afraid the oil will spat at her or the hot water will spill on her.

Ending: You spend the next half hour frying vegetables with a spatula in one hand, your toddler in another. 1 point for the superglue.

Example #2
You feel stinky and oily after making that sumptuous dinner and just wanna take a quick shower. You tell kid nicely "Mummy is going to shower a while, very fast okie?" She nods and you assume all is fine. Right after you close the shower curtains, you hear her yelling for you and banging at the bathroom door, if you had been cruel enough to shut it. In my case, the door is slightly ajar. She comes in, realises I'm behind the curtains and despite my best attempt at playing peek-a-boo while still showering, she laughs but at the same time pulls away my curtain.

Ending: The water jets all over the unsuspecting kid and now you not only have to bathe yourself, you have to dry and change the little one as well. 2 points for the superglue.

Example #3
Mummy wants to take a 10min break from chores and just check her Hotmail. She discreetly sneaks in to the room and sits in front of her laptop while the kid is happily watching Hi Five on the couch. Within a matter of seconds, kid transforms into modern day Sherlock Holmes, spots missing mum and goes dashing up to her.

Ending: You give in to the whining and whimpering, sits her on your lap and she starts punching on your keyboard till you get frustrated and end up sitting on the couch to watch Hi Five with her. 3 points for the superglue.

Example #4
It's time for bed. While daddy can be the best playmate, he can never be the one to coax the baby to sleep. She comes running outside looking for mummy when you are making her milk, holds you by the hand and walk you to the bedroom. You then lie down beside her, sing "Twinkle twinkle little stars" to her and tell her a bedtime story. She tosses and turns but finds a comfortable position with her arms entwined around your neck and her fingers twirling your hair till it gets all entangled. I don't know why but she has this habit with my hair.

Ending: You remain in that snug position with your arms around your kid till she falls sound asleep. Admit it, it feels heavenly to be able to embrace your kid like that. Just seeing her cute little face, you can't help but kiss her and remind yourself how much you love her. 4 points for the superglue.

Example #5
Nature calls and you need to defecate. Meaning take a poop. You can't really endure it much longer so you go straight ahead to the toilet while hoping that the array of toys you have set up will suffice to distract your kid while you're away. To your dismay, even the best Lego set, most expensive Barbie or most exhilarating scooter set is not enough to hold her. Toys just don't seem all that appealing when mummy is gone. She quickly discovers your secret hiding spot.

Ending: She stands right in front of me, watching with curiosity as I continued answering nature's call. I told her "Baby, it's so smelly here, you know. Go play outside, mummy will be out quickly". She looks at me, continues to take in the stench and gives you the sweetest smile ever (how is it even possible?), then say a string of gibberish that you don't even understand. Well, she's probably the only one in the entire universe who is capable of doing that. Full marks for the superglue!

This is what I experience with Angel every now and then.

Maybe it's because we really spend 24 hours with each other in Sweden, therefore it's weird to her when mummy is not around. Plus the fact that daddy is often at work or on sailing trips, and that there are no grandparents or relatives for us to turn to here. It's just me and her, me and her, me and her every day. Not that I'm complaining about it. I love my baby and cherish this special bond of ours deeply.

I don't know how long it will last, she's less than 2 years old now, maybe as she grows older, she won't be shouting "Mummy, come! Mummy come!" in that endearing high-pitch tone so often anymore. Or when we get back to Singapore, she will have others who love her to play with her and she won't even realise mummy is gone when I'm out for hours. Thus, I really love and treasure this superglue now. It's a sign of how much she depends on me, and at the same time how I can't live without her.

Well. I just hope she will let me take a dump in peace next time.