A child returns to her mother …

Abstract

There are various expressions of attachment and separation processes in children under 5 years of age. One particular experience in the life of a mother and her daughter is illustrated here. The woman, having lost her young husband following a brief illness, had concealed her grief and pain in an attempt to be brave and to face the future. She decided to send her 5-year-old daughter to a residential school. This was her way of adjusting to her distress and providing the best for her daughter. That was the beginning of the separation-anxiety process which left stress reactions in the mother and the child. The story of the mother and child is one of gradual recovery from their grief and loss. This story takes us into the dynamics of the attachment-separation process in children, to which we need to pay special attention as part of our commitment to child development.

Key Words:

• grief
• separation
• attachment
• return