My smallest child was grumpy and eating her dinner slowly before she went. I thought I could get upset or give her something else to be upset about and then this handover will be a full on melt down. So i didn’t do that I sent her Dad a text and said she was still eating. I let her finish and suggested she leave with a popsicle. Yeah, I know, easing the way with food but hey, it worked and she went off happily.
It would be easy to believe that my children are heading off to a week of gloom, malnourishment and benign neglect on Friday when they move from my house to his. It would be easy to project that on them. Easy to read it from some of the things they say. But they are just moving to another parent who does things differently.
Recently it occured to me he may feel similar anxiety about my parenting. For instance before he thought it was appropriate I had drilled the kids extensively so that I knew they could cross the road on their own. (Hmmmm that’s probably going to generate a few emails. I am always amazed how my little intermittant blog attracts criticism of my parenting.)