Separation – children’s needs
Children react differently to their parent’s separating, depending on the children’s age.
Here are some of the different needs that have been identified for children of different age groups:
Infants:
- Predictability
- Time with parents who nurture them
- Parents who play with them, listen carefully to their efforts to communicate and keep them safe
- Visiting schedules involving minimal change.
Teenagers:
- Minimal daily stress in their life
- Parents available daily to listen and provide support
- Predictable routines, consistent rules and expectations
- Parents who are able to supervise them and take interest in their lives
- Time and space for them to work out their own reactions to the separation
- Flexibility in arrangements to allow them to participate in normal adolescent social activities and school events.