[blparent] Leaving a Toddler for Several Nights

Tue Jan 25 00:31:49 UTC 2011

Jo Elizabeth, I'm glad things went well, but don't count on Sarah eating 
meat now that she's back home! Yes, go figure is right!
Sharon
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jo Elizabeth Pinto" <jopinto at pcdesk.net>
To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Monday, January 24, 2011 5:54 PM
Subject: Re: [blparent] Leaving a Toddler for Several Nights


> Well, we're back, and Sarah did great.  Apparently she asked where I was a 
> few times, but that was the extent of it.  More than that, she slept in a 
> big girl's bed and ate meat, which she never does at home.  Go figure.
>
> Jo Elizabeth
>
> "Some people see things as they are and ask why.  I dream things that 
> never were and ask why not."--Robert F. Kennedy
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Tammy" <tcl189 at rogers.com>
> Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 1:22 PM
> To: "NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blparent] Leaving a Toddler for Several Nights
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> Oh I completely understand where you're coming from, I hate leaving my 
>> kids for any length of time.  It always seems that they've change so much 
>> when I see them again, even if it's only a couple of days since I've seen 
>> them.
>>
>> Tammy
>>
>>
>> From: Jo Elizabeth Pinto
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 3:21 PM
>> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Leaving a Toddler for Several Nights
>>
>>
>> Well, time is short, but I think I could do something simple with the 
>> five
>> things for five days idea.  Maybe five of the little suckers she likes, 
>> one
>> for each day, and when she eats the last one, we'll be back that day.  I
>> asked her what she wants to take along, and will be sending the big bear 
>> she
>> always sleeps with.  She's actually excited to the max because she's been 
>> to
>> the place where she's going before, and even spent the night there once.
>> So, like people have said, this may be more my issue than hers.  She's
>> fairly adaptable and outgoing--sometimes I wish I could say the same for
>> myself.
>>
>> Jo Elizabeth
>>
>> "Some people see things as they are and ask why.  I dream things that 
>> never
>> were and ask why not."--Robert F. Kennedy
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------
>> From: "Melissa Ann Riccobono" <melissa at riccobono.us>
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 10:52 AM
>> To: "'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'" <blparent at nfbnet.org>
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Leaving a Toddler for Several Nights
>>
>>> This is great advice.  Reading stories in your own voice and recording
>>> them
>>> is a great idea.  Maybe if she likes to look at pictures you could give
>>> her
>>> a small album with pictures of you and her dad, and maybe even all of 
>>> you
>>> together so she has something to look at if she gets sad.  You could 
>>> talk
>>> to
>>> your friends and see if they would be willing to have her draw a special
>>> picture for you of what she has done each day you're gone, or do some
>>> other
>>> type of small project to give to you when you come back.  Also, as much 
>>> as
>>> possible, having her routines will be comforting.  If there's a special
>>> object she sleeps with at night, or a special book, or number of books 
>>> you
>>> read, or favorite music she listens to either during the day or at 
>>> night,
>>> make sure the friends caring for her know about these things.  Perhaps 
>>> you
>>> could buy her something special before the trip.  When I had Oriana I
>>> bought
>>> Austin a Pillow Pet he had been wanting for a long time.  This is a
>>> different situation, of course, but I told him the Pillow Pet was from 
>>> his
>>> new brother or sister and was his Big Brother present.  I actually gave 
>>> it
>>> to him a couple of weeks before Oriana was born, and he slept with it
>>> every
>>> night.  We really talked it up, and we told him he could bring the 
>>> Pillow
>>> Pet to our friends' house when I went to the hospital to have the baby. 
>>> I
>>> don't know if it was the Pillow Pet, or the preparation we did ahead of
>>> time, or a combination of the two, but he had no problem going to our
>>> friends' house and staying there for the nights I was in the hospital.
>>> You
>>> may want to try something similar--I don't know.
>>> Preparation is also key.  I certainly wouldn't over do it, but
>>> telling her that you and Daddy have to go on a trip, but that people 
>>> will
>>> be
>>> caring for her, and that you will call her and be thinking about her 
>>> would
>>> help her at least to understand a bit about what is going to happen. 
>>> You
>>> will probably be more upset than she is in the long run, but be prepared
>>> for
>>> tears when you leave and possibly some tearful phone conversations--that
>>> is
>>> if she'll talk to you at all on the phone.
>>> One more thing I thought of...  It sounds as if she's all ready
>>> familiar with the people who will be caring for her, but perhaps having
>>> them
>>> over ahead of time to play with her a bit so she is even more used to 
>>> them
>>> might help.  Austin went to Wisconsin this summer with my sister for a
>>> week.
>>> I was really worried about having him away from me for that long,
>>> especially
>>> since he doesn't see my sister very much.  She came a couple of days 
>>> ahead
>>> of time however, and when it came time for them to leave for the airport
>>> together it was me who was crying after they left...  He was all ready 
>>> to
>>> go.  Believe me, I know this type of thing is hard, but I am sure she 
>>> will
>>> be fine, and you will make it through as well!  As always, she'll take 
>>> her
>>> cues from you, so the more upbeat you can be about it, while also
>>> acknowledging the fact that she might feel sad and that you will feel 
>>> sad
>>> and miss her--but that it's going to be all right--the better off she'll
>>> be.
>>>
>>> Hope some of this helps!
>>> Melissa
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
>>> On
>>> Behalf Of Brandy W
>>> Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 6:32 PM
>>> To: 'NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List'
>>> Subject: Re: [blparent] Leaving a Toddler for Several Nights
>>>
>>> One thing that tends to help is to read a book on CD or something that 
>>> she
>>> can hear when ever she misses other you. Otherwise bring some things she
>>> loves at home, and know you will be more upset than her. Hope it works 
>>> out
>>> fine.
>>>
>>>
>>> "Be aware of wonder. Live a balanced life - learn some and think some 
>>> and
>>> draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day
>>> some."--Robert
>>> Fulghum
>>> Brandy Wojcik  Discovery Toys Educational Consultant and Team leader
>>> (512) 689-5045
>>> www.playtoachieve.com
>>> Follow me on Face Book by searching Discovery Toys- Play to Achieve
>>>
>>> Do you want to: *earn extra income?
>>> *get toys for free?
>>> *get sale updates on our award winning products that have never been
>>> recalled?
>>> Just ask!
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] 
>>> On
>>> Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
>>> Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2011 4:02 PM
>>> To: NFBnet Blind Parents Mailing List
>>> Subject: [blparent] Leaving a Toddler for Several Nights
>>>
>>> Hi.  Circumstances have come up that have given me no choice but to 
>>> leave
>>> Sarah with a family friend for about five days and five nights while her
>>> dad
>>> and I go out of town.  The sitters are completely trustworthy, so I'm 
>>> not
>>> worried about that at all, but I've never left her for nearly that long.
>>> Two nights has been the max.  I'm wondering if there's anything I can do
>>> to
>>> make this easier on Sarah.  Have any of you had to do this, and what
>>> helped?
>>> Or maybe it's only me who's worrying too much, and she'll be unphased by
>>> the
>>> whole thing.  Thanks for anything you all can offer, this list really is 
>>> a
>>> helpful resource.
>>>
>>> Jo Elizabeth
>>>
>>> "Some people see things as they are and ask why.  I dream things that
>>> never
>>> were and ask why not."--Robert F. Kennedy
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>>
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>
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