Separation Anxiety

Now that school is back underway after the Holiday break, everyone must get back into their daily routines. For some children this is an exciting time to get to do fun activities, gym time, and socializing with friends. For other children, a two week break can send them back to the heart wrenching episodes of separation anxiety when leaving Mom & Dad - like it was the first day of school all over again.

What leads to separation anxiety? There are many possible contributors - from personality, changes at home, up-bringing etc. Even so, some children who you would think might have problems leaving their parents never even take a look back at mom & dad!

I have to admit, my son is not away from me very often. To be truthful, he is not really even out of my arms that often! Now in the abundance of parenting literature there tend to be two schools of thought - one that recommends keeping your children close to you as much as possible in order to develop a strong sense of attachment that leads to confident children who are open to new experiences. The second school of thought encourages boundaries in order to teach children self soothing skills and become accustomed to leaving mom & dad - also leading to children who are confident in new situations. Both sides are adamant that they are right.

Is either side right? Or does it simply depend on the child's temperament and personality?

One thing is true, all children do get past their anxieties with caring and supportive individuals around them. Some may take longer than others though...my mother continually reminds me that I cried every single day for both Junior and Senior Kindergarten. And I guess I turned out alright ;)

Anyway, my hope is that my son grows up to be a confident and outgoing child who enjoys new experiences. However, I do hope that he does take a look back to wave to me!

A New Adventure has begun...

I have always led a very busy, active and full life - and according to my husband, always looking for ways to add more, sometimes too much more. My 'adult' life began five years ago when I graduated from the University of Guelph Child and Family studies program and then almost immediately began my own business with my yet to be husband. The birth of A Gym Tale! During our first year of business, we worked 18 hour days every day of that year - it was a wonderful year full of learning and stress, but we survived and we were thrilled with the business we had created and the wonderful clientele that we were gaining. The second year we hired 3 staff members and took holidays off - a very big step for us. And just as we were getting comfortable, we decided to buy a condo and get married and I decided to go back to school to do my Masters so I would not get bored. During years 3 and 4 of A Gym Tale, we moved locations and expanded our business to include an indoor playground and increased our staff to 14 employees. Once again, we are thrilled with where this adventure has taken us and the many families we have to come to know and love in our community. To add to the excitement in the first year at the new location, my husband and I also decided that it would be a good time to have a baby.

On Mother's Day - May 10, 2009 my beautiful son was born at 11:31pm. And so a new adventure has begun. The past 8 months have been a whirl wind of new experiences - full of excitement, laughter, tears and not a whole lot of sleep! I am now in the process of finding a balance between my 8 month old son, who seems to be changing and growing faster than I can keep up with, as well as with my first 'baby' - A Gym Tale and the children and families that I love to get to know, teach, and entertain.

I hope you will join me as I begin my new adventure as a mother, teacher, and business owner. Whether you are a new mom or an old pro, I'm sure you can relate to the many experiences that come with raising and working with young children. Motherhood is a long journey and I would appreciate any advice along the way as this adventure will surely lead to many 'Gym Tales'.