As chronicled previously in this blog, Miles has started exhibiting signs of separation anxiety whenever certain tell-tale signs appear before him (the babysitter showing up, either me or Jaclyn, or both of us, walking towards the door). In an effort to problem solve this, we’ve started trying out a new strategy when leaving the house.
Miles has responded well to routines so far, whether it’s the daily drop off at daycare or going to bed between 7:00 and 8:00 each night. To make our departures more of a routine, we’re having Miles’s babysitter walk him to the door to see us off (much like Jaclyn does for us each morning). Our hope is that Miles will feel less like he’s being abandoned and more like he’s the one making us leave. I think.
We gave this a try tonight when I left for my usual trivia show. Sure, there were a few playful moments of me ducking back through the door, playing and trying to get him to smile (mostly out of nervousness that he was seconds away from a meltdown), but after I finally left I lingered by the closed door, waiting to hear his wailing.
Fortunately, the cries never came. Now if only I could find a way to leave the house without playing with Miles for 15 minutes, I might actually be able to get to trivia on time again!
