Scared, originally uploaded by Finn Coleman.Separation anxiety is a fear experienced by babies as young as nine months old and this can affect a child of up to 10 years of age. Until young children understands the concepts of "object permanence" and the passage of time, their fears of a loved one or a carer disappearing are indeed very real. As a working mother, funkimama used to experience separation anxiety with her little one every morning of the week as she left home for work. She used to just slip away while her little one was engaged in an activity or with a toy, which actually made matters worst. The best thing to do, according to experts is to let your child know that you are leaving and explain to him/her that you will be back later.
Remaining calm yet firm when faced with separation anxiety is important as young children can sense negative emotions and can be affected by it. One tried and tested method funkimama wishes to share with her fellow moms is this: Tell your child that you are going to work, leave home together with your child and the carer as you leave for work in the morning, let him/her say goodbye e.g. at the bus stop or in a nearby park. This change of environment helps funkimama's little one feel less left behind, as he gets to go out with mommy. It also gives mommy an extended, albeit short, time with her little one. Funkimama also finds it helpful to let her child know of his planned activities of the day first thing in the morning, e.g. "You are going to your playgroup today!" so that he knows what to look forward to. It has worked very well for funkimama, and it is certainly worth a try.
當父母要離家外出工作, 對無論是9個月大的小寶寶至到10歲的小朋友來說, 都是一個既害怕又焦慮的經驗, 在小朋友理解即使物件沒有出現在眼前但仍然存在的道理之前, 在這段時間, 他/她們對最愛的父母, 對照顧他/她們的保母, 突然不出現在他/她們眼前, 這種消失感是非常確實及害怕的, 作為一個需要工作的funkimama, 亦曾試過跟小寶寶在每天早上離別時有焦慮的情緒, 每次都是趁小寶寶在玩玩具或進行其他活動時偷偷地溜走, 但其實這樣做只會令情況更壞, 其實最好是令到小寶寶知道你有事需要離開一段時間, 告訴他/她你會稍後回到他/她身邊
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