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We became very close during the Pandemic. I’m a retired music professor, but still performs music. Now that the pandemic is over, I occasionally travel for concerts, no more than a week at a time, once a month. My kids, 6 and 3 cannot accept me leaving. Crying and pleading me to stay. It’s great to play music, I’m concerned that I create psychological scars. Your comments...Thank you
Pediatricians and school counselors are excellent advisors to help parents help their children develop the skills to manage normal separation fears and anxieties. As young children develop, they learn to balance their need for connection to parents with their need to explore, learn and become more confident to do things on their own. Separation anxieties are a normal and necessary part of development. Anxieties arise when children feel a stronger need for connection and it makes them feel uncertain and anxious about being apart from their parents. The extended time at home did decrease the opportunity for children (and parents) to gain more experience with practicing how to manage temporary separations. Parents can reassure their children that they will be coming back and develop goodbye and reunion rituals to reinforce these skills. Sesame Street has wonderful resources for parents to help them learn how to navigate separation anxiety: Easing Separation Anxiety - Sesame Workshop
