Summer time is approaching, and being away from home is a challenge that some of our children start facing at this time of the year. Parents use summer time to send their children to Grandma´s house, cousin’s house, summer camps or even longer playdates.
As a parent there are many things you cannot do for your children. You cannot give your child confidence, you cannot pick or manage his or her friendships, you cannot always be his or her advocate, however, you can help them get ready to the time they spend away from home and encourage them to face these new challenges.
Each child has unique emotional characteristics and their readiness skills are different among them. As parents, we need to nurture our children closely and approach these ¨getting away from home¨ the best way to help them feel confident .
You can do some preparation. Tell your children that homesickness is normal, that it means he or she has a home that he or she loves, however they need to feel your confidence in their resilience and their capabilities to stay away from home even if it is for 4 hours or for three weeks.
It is Ok to empathize with your child´s fears. Recognizing fears is a great start to overcome and face them. Tell your child that you are sure he or she will get help from counselors, friends or any adult in charge of them. Remember to start from small steps, go from short periods of time before jumping to summer camps and longer stays.
There are two great articles we recommend about this wonderful topic.
Michele Borba, based on latest researches, recommends wonderful tips to ease kids homesickness:
http://micheleborba.com/blog/
On the other hand, based on expert Michael Thompson, Jessica Lahey wrote a great article about the benefits our children encounter going to summer camps
The Most important thing… You want them to have fun, they need your blessing, not your anxiety
Enjoy!
