You know your decision to send your child off to boarding school is the right one. You have done the research and selected the perfect school. And you are excited for him to learn and grow in this formative step in his life. But you miss him. Desperately at times. What can you do to deal with the inevitable heartache that comes with sending your child off to boarding school?
Here are three simple ways to cope with missing your child.
1. The three A’s: acknowledge, allow and accept. Don’t deny how you are feeling, rather, own it.
2. Think about what you want. If you have a child or two, chances are since they were little your interests and needs haven’t been the main focus in your life. But now that you have more free time, you can take the opportunity to concentrate on what makes you happy and fulfilled. What sounds good to you?
3. Pen in time to talk. Set up a time to chat with your child regularly. Maybe it’s Mondays with mom, or Facetime Fridays with dad, be sure to get it on your calendars and make it happen. Not only is it healthy and necessary to catch up with your kid regularly but looking forward to your conversations will help you feel better. Also - make sure you keep a list of things that come up in between your talks that you will want to discuss.
Parenting isn’t easy. In fact, letting go of a child as they move through life can be the most challenging part. Finding comfort in knowing he is where he is supposed to be and being kind to yourself is a good place to start. Everything else will fall into place.