Dear Parent/Guardian,

Congratulations! You and your child have both survived the first few days of school. Your good-byes may be going smoothly now, or you may have a little one still tugging at your shirt as you exchange farewells. Separation anxiety at the beginning of the school year is common and with a little planning and forethought can dissipate.

Some helpful tips for saying good-bye are as follows:

Put your child in charge of some part of the morning routine (dressing, packing the backpack). This will give your child a sense of control in the morning.

Plan how you will say good-bye beforehand. Practice relaxation techniques, such as taking a deep breath from your stomach. Also, talk about what you will do when your child gets home.

When you are saying good-bye, calmly communicate through your words and body language that you are confident that your child will be ok. Make your good-bye brief. Lingering only increases pain.

Speak positively about school when at home with your child. If you are experiencing any anxiety, try not to let your child sense it. Children can be very intuitive.

Reinforce the connection between home and school. Have your child make something for a friend at school or help prepare their snack for school.

If separation continues to be a problem, send a transitional object, or photograph with your child to help make separation easier.
Keep in mind that very few children keep up the tears after mom or dad has left the building. Children are wonderfully distractible and can usually be redirected into some interesting task.

Thankfully, separation anxiety usually fizzles out, and soon those tugging-at-your-shirt-and-heart days will be a distant memory.