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Separation anxiety – The worst ways to say goodbye
If you’re sending your toddler off to daycare or preschool, be prepared for tears on the first day, and perhaps many after that. Separation anxiety is normal, as is a meltdown when you reappear (reminds them of the pain of the separation). There are many ways to ease this. See our article Ten Tips for Dads, Kids, and separation anxiety on the first day of school.
Here are five ways not to say goodbye:
1. Don’t be sad – while you may want to be empathetic, you will be communicating that it is a sad event, which reinforces your child’s fears.
2. Don’t be mad – sure, you’re getting late for work, and need to pull away. But it’s not the time to show this frustration to yours child.
3. Don’t hang on – it may seem more gentle to hang out for a long time to ease your child into the situation. But a clean break is actually better than prolonging the agony.
4. Don’t leave without saying goodbye – the worst thing is to disappear without one last reassurance that you’ll be back.
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