Tyler looked around his room. He was going to spend a few days at his friend Cindy's house while his parents went on a trip. Maybe he should bring his toy dinosaur. Cindy liked dinosaurs as much as he did. He took it off the shelf and handed it to Mom.
When Tyler's mom and dad go away for a few days, he gets to stay at his best friend Cindy's house. Tyler and Cindy play all their favorite games together, and Tyler likes the sailboat in Cindy's bathtub and the hot cocoa before bedtime. But sometimes he misses his own home and his own parents. With a little help from everyone, he finds ways to get through his "missing" feelings. And by the time Mom and Dad return, he is feeling all the pride and joy that can come with this new growing-up experience.
Mom, Dad, Come Back Soon contains an extensive afterword by psychologist Jane Annunziata that helps parents understand what their children are facing and suggests many practical coping techniques for use before, during, and after brief separations.
From the Note to Parents:
When you go away, your children have an opportunity to practice and eventually master the difficult feelings that arise for all of us with separations....Life is full of separations, large and small good-byes, and leave takings. Children need to know that they can handle the myriad of feelings that inevitably occur in these situations. When well-managed, time apart from your children can be a win-win situation for all.
