After waiting patiently until it became apparent it would never happen on its own, I’m pushing a fledgling out of the nest. Now, there are good reasons for this, among them the fact that we ourselves will have to be moving over the summer. But I hadn’t gone into the details with my son, though I had noted insistent requests that he be taken along when I go look for a new house, and read them as requests for reassurance that we would not leave him behind.
Now I found out where he got some of his ideas. He told his grandmother yesterday that if mom got mad at him, he’d have to move out too. Poor scared baby! I’m glad he said it to someone, though, because now I can take up the subject in terms I hope he’ll understand. And I hope I can get the point across. For my son to be frightened of abandonment is the last thing I expected…and about as desirable as nuclear war.
I am given to understand that it’s not uncommon for kids to be uncertain whether or not their parents are taking them along when they move. Mind you, I’ve only got anecdotal evidence…but there have been some good anecdotes.