Across the Same Words collection
Difficult goodbyes and separation moments with children
Browse bedtime separation, family handovers and endings to visits. Find the overview closest to your goodbye and the book it belongs to. 6 situation overviews from 4 books.
The doorway: two adults, one child, ninety secondsTwo Homes · The handoverA short handover brings two adults and one child together at the doorway. Everyone is arriving, leaving, or waiting, and a brief exchange can feel much bigger than ninety seconds.→A handover you cannot be in the room forTwo Homes · The handoverConflict or distance makes it impossible for one adult to be present during the handover. The child moves between homes without both parents sharing the doorway.→The goodbye at the doorDeep Feelings · Before it even startsAt the doorway, a goodbye has to happen and the child does not want the separation. The next place is waiting, while the person leaving still feels central to the moment.→Handover — they walk in mid-meltdownEvery Grown-Up · The other parentOne parent arrives in the middle of a child's meltdown and enters a moment already at full intensity. The handover happens without a calm beginning, while everyone must adjust to another adult joining the room.→Leaving grandma's or ending a playdateBoth Parents · TransitionsA visit with Grandma or a playdate has reached its end, while the child still wants it to continue. Goodbye becomes the hardest part of an otherwise happy time away from home.→My child will not let me leave the room at bedtimeBoth Parents · SleepThe bedtime routine is complete, but the child will not let the adult leave the room. The doorway becomes a dividing line between staying close and beginning the part of the night spent apart.→