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Leaving on a jet plane, how to tell a 2 year-old?
Filed under: Toddlers Preschoolers, Relatives, Places To Go, Development/Milestones: Babies
Tomorrow I have to get on a plane that will take me away from my children four three and half days. It is not a mandatory trip, rather a much needed pleasure break to help me recharge my engines. When I used to work outside the home I had to travel quite a bit. My older children are quite comfortable with the site of me packing my bags. But I have yet to leave my 2 year-old son for any length of time. I have told him that "Mommy will be gone for a few days", but not I have not told him that I will be flying away in a plane. Since his beloved grandfather suddenly passed away this June, he has decided that my father is somewhere in the great beyond in an airplane. When he sees a plane in the sky he will point to it and say, "Pop-Pop! A pwane. A sky. Go town stars!" Translated: Pop-pop is in a plane going to a town in the stars. I have no idea if my son thinks that my father's plane will eventually land and deliver his grandfather home safe and sound. Whatever the case, I am hesitant to announce that I, too, plan to tool around in a plane. I don't want to traumatize him or confuse him.
Have any readers had a similar situation? If so, how did you handle it?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
10-16-2006 @ 8:22AM
Jill said...I think you need to help him correct his impression of where Pop-Pop is or has gone first. If you want you can simply make it clear that you're going on a traveling airplane, but not like Pop-pop's. Regardless, this seems like an issue that is going to come up again if you don't deal with it now.
As for leaving, I make my time away understood in my toddler's terms. "I'm going to be gone when you wake up and I'll be gone for breakfast, lunch, dinner and bedtime, then when you wake up I'm going to be gone for another breakfast and lunch, but I'll be home in time to eat spaghetti with you." This is the way he sees time pass. When I was gone longer once I planned the meals for my parents (babysitting) before leaving. He knew what meals were going to be with them and which meal I would be back to eat with him. Seemed to work well.
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10-16-2006 @ 10:50AM
Tara said...I don't know why he needs to know you're going on a plane. The plane part of your trip is only a big deal if you make it a big deal. You're leaving. That's it. You'll be back. Simple. If you don't want to confront the issue, let it be and just have a good time!
Now if you really want to correct his impression of where "pop-pop" is maybe ask your pediatrician for ideas. I haven't encountered anything like this. My twins just turned 2. Does your father have a gravesite nearby? Can you bring your son there?
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