“You should not be offended if he wants to call it off” (Page 94, Big Book)
The purpose of sponsoring is not to create a coterie of mini-mes, an army of lieutenants, a clique, a lineage, God-forbid a family, a network, a club, a tribe, a brand. Sponsees are not offspring. The purpose of sponsorship is to make oneself redundant as a sponsor as quickly as possible. A tremendous sign of success is when a sponsee says, effectively, ‘Don’t need you any more. Bye.’ The sponsor’s offence at the termination of the sponsorship is a sign that the sponsor had some other objective than their own redundancy.
There is a purpose in long-term sponsorship, but it’s not to retain an authority figure but to have someone who knows one well enough to provide good input.