Psychology Today | 18.01.2026 02:35
When my daughter Savannah was a toddler, I jokingly called her “my barnacle.” If you’ve ever seen a barnacle, you know they don’t just hang around—they attach. Permanently. For a stretch of time, Savannah did the same. She clung to my leg if I tried to walk away. She asked me for snacks even when my husband was standing next to the pantry. She sought my lap for comfort, my arms for reassurance, and my presence for just about everything. While it seemed flattering at the time, it was exhausting.
