At three, I was inseparable from my parents. Wherever they went I went, always reaching out for their hands to ensure their ________. Never having left them until three, I had what is called ________ anxiety. This made preschool a/an________ time for all of us.

As we approached my preschool for the first time, one of my hands tightly ________my fathers hand, the other nervously grasped my mother's. I was happy and curious—what could this new place be? There were other ________for me to play with and of course toys. Soon, however, I was introduced to my teachers. They guided us towards a small window seat in a classroom. Just then, my parents suddenly ________ my hands and broke away from our group and went a ________ way. They were heading toward the door. Realizing what happened, I attempted to ________ them, only to be held back by my teachers. I shouted, loud enough for my parents, now outside, to ________I pressed against the glass, tears down my face. "We call this The Crying Window," ray teachers had told my parents. ''Children are often ________ when seeing their parents leave the school without them. My parents stood outside, tormented by having to stand by while their kid ________ .But soon an older girl appeared. She wrapped her arms around me until I stopped ________.The hug was comforting like that of my parents. Then she took me away from the ________. My parents breathed a sigh of ________ .

The girl was Helen, and soon we were best friends. Every day when I was dropped off at school, tears would come but then I would fight them back, as Helen grabbed my hand and led me away. We have developed great ________ since then.