I watched my daughter tie her shoelaces and realised she no longer waits for me to crouch down

Dear Delyara, There was a time when leaving the house involved me kneeling at the front door, fixing laces, turning collars, straightening socks, making her look and feel ready for the day. Now she does all of that herself, with only a quick glance in the mirror and the faint impatience of a child becoming more private by the month. I smiled and said nothing. But inside, I felt that old mother-ache again. No one warns you that children growing well will still break your heart in very small, correct ways. You want them capable. Then they become capable. And you are left standing by the door with two hands that remember tasks they are no longer needed for.