Those of you who follow this blog or follow me on Twitter will know that I’m having a problem with Separation Anxiety. It’s not Little Miss’ separation anxiety, it’s mine! Little Miss is nearly 16 months old and I have yet to be away from her for more than 4-5 hours at a time. I do believe that the amount of times that I have left her can be counted on 2 hands and you might not need all the fingers on the second hand. They say that the first step is admitting you have a problem. “Hi, My name is Karin and I’m a Little Miss-a-holic.”
I’m not sure what it is really. An underlying fear that something is going to happen to her? A fear that I’m going to miss something? I don’t know what it is but I do know that when I leave her, it almost physically hurts. I never let her know it but I get a bit emotional when I drive away. I feel like I have lost something; that a part of me is missing.
I’ve only ever left her with family or 1 very close friend. I trust them implicitly and know that Little Miss will be fine with them but it’s still hard. I know I need to do this more as then, this whole palava will get easier and I might even be able to leave her for a whole day or (gasp) with someone who isn’t family!
One of my favourite movies is “What About Bob?”. It’s a bit of a cult classic (in the US) and stars Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfuss. It’s hysterical and is a real family favourite. I have seen it so many times that I know virtually every line and still laugh out loud at most of the film. The main character, played by Bill Murray, is called Bob Wiley. He’s plagued by massive hypochondria and see’s Richard Dreyfuss’ character, Dr. Leo Marvin, for psychological counselling. Dr. Leo Marvin advises Bob to take “Baby Steps” and this is what I’m trying to do. I’m not a complete nutbar like Bob Wiley but I’m taking my Baby Steps to letting go of my Baby.
My first proper Baby Step came today…I took Little Miss to play at her Auntie Debbie’s house. She was entertained and played with and loved to the hilt. She had an absolute blast and didn’t miss her mummy for a minute. Her mummy missed her terribly and managed to stay away for a whole 3 hours but it’s a start. Next time, maybe we’ll aim for an entire afternoon- maybe 5 hours! So, thank you to Auntie Debbie, Uncle Ant and cousins Pippa and Matthew for helping me to take my first Baby Steps. I’ll let you know when it turns into a run!
How good are you about letting go?
Little Miss & Cousin Pippa
About Me
Welcome to Cafe Bebe...a tale of the adventures of two parents who found each other across an ocean, learned how to parent thanks to a toddler called Ella and a bebe called Sam while maintaining their sanity...just. Subscribe Here!
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