The Skinny: At some point in a child’s development, there comes a time when he or she misses mommy, and really wonders if mommy is going to come back at all, even if it’s a short trip to the store.  This can be very frightful and emotionally difficult to handle for both mom and child. Well, Owl Babies by Martin Waddell is a perfect book to help your child emotionally relate and move through this developmental milestone.  This book is about attachment and separation. As the editor puts it:

A gentle tale of three baby owls reassures every child that Mommy will always come home. The story of three baby owls at three different maturity levels. And how they all three cope with mommy leaving and coming back. A very sweet story where the brothers and sisters comfort each other, and talk about their anxieties and worries. The central piece here is that they feel their safety is attached to mom, but it’s okay because mom will always come back. This book is to typically at the preschool level or the level when time away from mom is creating anxiety.

What it is: The book Owl Babies by Martin Waddell

What it’s used for: Emotional engagement around missing mom

Ways to use it:

• Emotional Engagement:
  • Simply read through the book and constantly make references to how this is like mom leaving and always returning.  Allowing your child make these connections and realize that this is ok to feel this way, it’s natural.  But, it’s also allowing your child to realize that he or she is not alone in how they feel, and, yes, Mom will come back. Some thoughts to talk about during the story, how do we think about mom when she is not there. Sometimes having a trick to conjure up the thought of mom can help relieve the stress. You can talk about the comings and goings of mom or a loved one. Most of the times the little owl is the most associated with the kids. The older owls start self regulating, as you can see throughout the story.

Where to find it: You can find the paper back Owl Babies here and the hardcover here.

The Source:

Owl Babies for Emotional Engagement was originally published on KidConnectionZ