Im so sorry youre going through that. When my kids were young – there was definitely some tears when they couldnt see me – but that was normal for the developmental stage and definitely calmed down shortly after. I would always talk so they could still hear my voice. Or keeping them occupied with a fun toy etc

Wow. This is a bit extreme. Did anything trigger it? My (then) six year old suddenly got extremely clingy after I went away by myself for a week. A couple of months after I got back she got crazy clingy. I solved the problem by putting a photo of myself in a keyring thingy, putting it on a lanyard, and she had it with her for comfort.