The Magic Box: When Parents Can’t Be There to Tuck You In

This upbeat and charmingly illustrated book contains a wealth of tips for families in which a parent is often away from home. Casey’s dad has to go away for a couple of days…AGAIN! Casey hates it when his father has to travel. But this time Dad leaves behind a special gift that will help Casey cope with the absence, and with future trips as well.

A Note to Parents by Ann Rasmussen, PsyD, helps parents understand what their children are facing, reassures parents of the value of these separations, and suggests many practical techniques for helping the child before, during, and after an absence.

From the Note to

Today’s children often face short separations from their parents because of far-flung work demands or family commitments. In the common chaos of family life, their reactions to parental comings and goings may be overlooked. But when parents travel, feelings usually do arise in children that are difficult for young minds to understand and express feelings that include fear, rejection, anger, helplessness, sadness, and loneliness.

Such feelings are normal and expectable. Indeed, children have such troubling feelings precisely because they love and need their parents so much. On the positive side, the brief absence of a loved one is a vital learning opportunity for children who will inevitably suffer unwanted disruptions of their closest relationships throughout their life. Where better to struggle with and learn to manage difficult feelings than in the safe, small circle of the family?