Dealing with Separation Anxiety - Making Anxious Moments Easier

May 15, 2007

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When children are around six months to one year of age they become attached to your hip. This is not literally, but it can seem that way sometimes. This phase that your child is experiencing is called separation anxiety. The experience is not fatal or forever, but it can seem that way to your child, especially if you happen to be a stay-at-home mother.

Most mothers love it when their children want to spend all of their time with them. All parents know that there will come a time in the life of their children when they will want some space. As a stay-at-home mom, nothing feels better than to have your child grow closer to you.

The problem for moms comes when it is time to send the little ones off to school. With working parents, small children have been introduced to life outside the home at an earlier age. Daycare was a reality for them when their parents went to work.

The separation anxiety phase may last longer in these children and be more dramatic. Young children are not aware of the passage of time like adults. When you leave the room, they have no idea when you are coming back. The child’s crying will bring them back into the room, which begins a bad pattern. Not knowing if the child is hurt, you come every time.

Going to school separates your child from you for an entire day. The unfamiliar surroundings can alarm children and start them running for the door after you. To avoid this type of situation, stay-at-home mothers should begin to wean their children early enough that separation anxiety will not be an issue for either of them.

Let other family members take care of the child. Introducing them to new situations will get them used to periods of time without you. Carry some of the child’s favorite toys to help distract them from the fact that you have left.

A playground or park is a good place to let your child meet other children and learn to function without you by their side every minute. After they slide down the sliding board a couple of times, don’t wait at the bottom. Stay at the ladder and call to them when they reach the bottom. Let them find you.

These activities focus your child’s attention on something other than you. When you continue to return for them, they will come to understand that you always return at some point. Experiences like this are good for the mother as well as the child. Your day will seem empty at first when your child leaves for school. Rest assured you will survive.

To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk Guide to Raising Happy & Healthy Kids - Tips and resources address nutrition, exercise, sleep, routines, and much more.

Posted by admin | Filed Under Parenting 

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