Why Should Parents Say Goodbye To Their Children Before Leaving Home?
Have you ever wondered why parents should say goodbye to their children before leaving home and how important it is? Normally, when leaving the house, it is customary for parents to ask someone else to distract the child so they can run away as quickly as possible without the child seeing it. However, this is not the best way.
Although it sounds extremely cruel, there is an explanation that seems ‘logical’: children, upon seeing their parents leave, start to cry at the top of their lungs, as they don’t want to be away from them.
It is clear that saying goodbye will not change that fact. But we must take into account that it is an action that brings with it certain positive aspects that we will detail below.
Why should parents say goodbye to their children before leaving home?
The separation between parents and young children is always difficult . The attachment that unites them is so strong that sometimes being apart for a few hours causes sadness not only in children, but also in adults.
However, there is a factor that clearly differentiates the behavior of children from that of adults: children cannot contain their emotions and express their sadness and disquiet as best they can. This, of course, crying at the top of her lungs.
Of course, this is not the way parents want to leave their little ones. Therefore, when separating from them, even for a few hours, the option that seems most suitable is to run away as quickly as possible so that the child does not cry for the absence.
What many parents don’t know is that although the child doesn’t cry the moment they leave, the parent feels more absent afterwards. This is due to the fact that the lack of farewell awakens in her a feeling of abandonment that will later turn into a greater attachment to her parents.
Negative consequences when parents leave without saying goodbye
As explained above, the bond between parents and children is very strong in the first months and years of a child’s life. The most important reference for children regarding guidance, protection and love comes from their parents.
When little ones are separated from their parents, they naturally miss their presence. Although they are well taken care of by nannies or family members, they will feel unprotected because their main referents are not with them.
Certainly, younger children do not have the ability to understand why their parents are suddenly absent. What experts defend is that when parents leave without saying goodbye, little feelings of abandonment, anguish, anger and insecurity are born.
These negative feelings not only consolidate more and more, but whenever the parents return to the child’s presence, the child becomes more attached and dependent on them. The explanation for this is that information is kept in the child’s memory that indicates that he is at risk of being unexpectedly abandoned by his parents.
What to do?
So, the question that must be answered is: what to do when leaving the house? Of course, parents do not want to see their children cry, but there are two aspects that must be taken into account. The first is that children cry because this is their single most efficient way to communicate. On the other hand, crying effectively drains stress and tension.
When the child cries, he is communicating that he feels sad because we are going to be away. However, little by little she will understand, through the kisses and hugs of arrival and farewell, that this uncomfortable action for them is being informed by their parents ; it also implies understanding that your parents are not dropping out, but simply moving away for a specific time.
It may seem like a very abstract idea, but psychologists assure us that we should not underestimate our children’s level of learning. So teach your child to say “hi” and “bye” and what those words mean.
It is also suitable to play, for example, hide and seek. It will be very beneficial for children to begin to understand that absences are not synonymous with abandonment, but just another activity of daily living.
Finally, parents must remember that, by saying goodbye to their children before leaving home, they will be helping the little ones to better relate to their surroundings. Finally, this will also allow them to develop balanced emotional health.
