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That's what I feel like right now. My daughter had an awful night. She woke up at 3 a.m., and against my husband's advice, I brought her into our bed. (He doesn't understand how it feels to have your baby yelling "Mommy! Mommy!" through big tears.) Needless to say, none of us slept well.

Then, this morning, as my husband was getting ready to take our daughter to school, she kept saying "Mommy, please walk down with us" with a big frown on her face. So, with my hair half done, I walked my daughter down to the car and put her in her seat. That's when it got real bad. "Mommy don't leave me! I want to stay! Come with me! She was crying, and not just whimpering. It was that REAL cry. I tried calming her down the best I could but had to send her own her way to school.

Usually my daughter loves going to school but sometimes she just wants mommy time. Any advice on how to handle watching your child cry because you have to go to work?

hm, I'll be watching for any answers myself...I still get that every once in a while with my 3 1/2 year old son. It gets better with time, but certain days, he's very clingy, and it kills me to leave him, even if it is with his own father. One thing I do is promise him some special time together when I get home, just us, no daddy and no brothers, and then actually follow through with it once I'm home. Seems to help. But my heart still aches all day...missing my babies.

I understand completely how you feel. There is nothing harder than having to pry your child's hands off of you because you have to leave for work. Especially when all you want to do is stay with them anyway. I find that if I have a consistent routine in the morning and talk about the fun things my son will do during the day while I am at work he does really well. In fact, sometimes he's so excited about the activities that are lined up for him that I get the blow off package when it comes time for me to leave. Then I have to insist that I get a little love before I leave... Kids are so funny that way! Try starting the morning prepping her for what's about to happen, when you wake up start by letting her know where she will be going and who she will see that day, then periodically while you are getting ready ask her what she fun stuff she thinks she might get to do while she's at school to get her excited about it... then when it's time to go she will have gotten herself ready for it.
I hope this works for you, my son still co-sleeps with us and I don't think that makes it harder for him to be separated, I think it gives him the reassuring snuggle time that he misses while my husband and I work so if she needs that connection, then by all means give it to her. It should make her feel more secure to get mommy's affection when she needs it.
Good luck!

My daughter is such a Daddy's girl... until I am home from work. Then it is Mommy Mommy and Mommy. She is extremely clingy when I am home. She is 15 months old and I only see this getting worse as she gets older. I work 24 hour shifts, so I am gone for a day and then home for two whole days.

When I am home I try to stick to the same nighttime schedule as my hubby does, even though she protests bedtime more when I am home (and wakes up in the middle of the night calling for me.) I also try to do things with her, like just "mommy" things, so we have fun when I am home.

The most important thing to remember is that if you are working to make money you are doing it to help your household and you are benefitting your child that way. It was so hard for me to go back to work after my daughter was born, but I had to remember my one job made more money per year then my husband could make working two fulltime jobs. So him staying home was the best decision for our family.

I can't even imagine. It's making me not want to go back to work! This is all good advice. You could also try packing surprises/notes in the backpack/lunchbox each day. Little reminders of you that she can only see when she leaves/gets to school. This may encourage excitement to leave and see the "surprise of the day."

take it from the resident mom with older kids, the day will come when your little boy will turn away when you try to get that last kiss before he walks into the first grade...

then he will want you to drop him off in the car line and not walk him in...

i miss some of the clingy...

I have plenty of experience with this. My son started preschool at 3.5 after only being home with me, a nanny, or my Mom. He cried each day and I would have to pull himm off of me. One day it was so bad that I, after leaving the school, had second thoughts and went back to pick him up. Before going in, I looked in the window, he could not see me, and he was playing w/ a little girl and the teacher w/ a huge grin on his face! I walked away w/o going in to get him. Each day after that, it got better and soon he was looking forward to school. However, every now and then for no reason-that I can tell) he will scream and cry and refuse to go. I always remind him of the fun he will have after I leave and assure him we will be together again soon. It is hard! I also remind myself of the fact that one day he will not want me around-it makes it easier .

I've definitely given myself this title from time to time. It's hard not to even though none of us deserves it. My 10-month-old has been very clingy lately. He doesn't even like me to step away from him for a second -- even if I'm just across the room. I just keep reminding myself that there will come a day when he won't want anything to do to me. I just hug him now while I he wants me to.

Thanks for all the great advice! This morning, I could tell my daughter was starting to get a little down as it was time for her to leave for school with daddy, but we talked all about the police dogs that were coming to visit her school today. (It's community helper week.)She got very excited, and as I put her in the car, I told her to say "Hi" to the dogs for me. We gave big kisses, said our goodbyes, and everyone was smiling. Atleast seeing her happy face makes it a little bit easier - not that it will EVER be easy.