I'm confused by this one. If the daughter is young enough to call to ask for a cookie, then why isn't there some adult (or older child) there to supervise? I know the cookie thing was just an example, but it reads very off to me, and I have questions.

Is there upheaval in the family or a recent change in the LW's work status/schedule? The multiple calls a day thing suggests a pretty high degree of anxiety about maternal abandonment. I'd be really worried about that part, quite apart from whatever effects it might have on keeping my job (though the keeping my job part would loom large). I'd take the desire for an 'I love you' as a request for reassurance. It's something my anxious daughter says when she feels lost but can't articulate what she needs from me. Me saying it back tells her that I'm there and that I consider her important.