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Don't overcomplicate separation anxiety
Parenting
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Q: My daughter will be 3 years old soon. Her father was the primary caretaker until she was around 20 months old, then he left and she hasn’t seen him since.
I expected her to be clingy in the beginning. However, it is continuing. She cries and screams when I drop her off anywhere — at the sitter’s, church day care, even my sister’s house — and she clings to me like I’m going to disappear at any moment.
I don’t play with her constantly in our free time; however, I do spend time with her. Any suggestions? It’s embarrassing and driving me crazy.
A: I sense that you may be overcomplicating the issue by thinking that your daughter’s anxiety over separation is due to her father’s sudden disappearance from her life. That’s actually unlikely.
It’s more likely that she has no memory of him at all (but might recognize him if he suddenly appeared —recognition and memory are two different things). As long as you think this is a psychological problem, it’s going to be difficult for you to act in a calm and authoritative manner, which is key.
The general rule is that when a child is having problems separating, the more the parent talks to the child about an upcoming separation, reassures the child that mommy’s coming back and hangs around trying to calm down the child, the worse the problem becomes. Unwittingly, the parent conveys anxiety to the child, thus making the child that much more anxious.
Don’t give these situations any buildup. Just take her to the designated caretaker, kiss her, hand her over and walk away. As you’ve already discovered, any attempt to calm her down before you leave is going to escalate her screaming. Trust the caretaker to properly handle the situation from that point.
You need, of course, to let the caretaker know what the “new program” is going to be before you begin.
Given calm resolve on your part, your daughter probably will stop crying within a few minutes of your leaving, and the problem should be a thing of the past in a few weeks.
Q: We have taken video-game privileges away from our 8-year-old son for various misbehaviors, but we recently discovered that he’s been sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night to play them anyway. If we confine him to his room for the day, he doesn’t mind. He just lies in there and reads. Help!
A: I have a brilliant idea that is certain to solve the problem: Permanently remove the video-game console from the home. These nefarious machines have no place in a healthy family environment anyway.
As I proposed in this column 30 years ago, when the craze was in its infancy, video games are addictive. That since has been confirmed by research. In addition, they are associated with underachievement, short attention span and various behavior problems.
You are describing addictive behavior, similar to an alcoholic hiding booze around the house and drinking in the bathroom, in closets and so on. As long as the console is in the home, your young addict is going to find a way to get at it.
The good news is that he likes to read! I’ll just bet that when video games are a nonissue, he’ll begin enriching his mind with books, books and more books!

A psychologist, Rosemond answers questions on his website at www.rosemond.com.

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Fit Kids Fest set for Saturday, focuses on childhood obesity
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SAVANNAH — Childhood obesity is a growing concern across the nation.

Georgia is not immune to this epidemic. Nearly 40 percent of the state’s children classified as overweight or obese, which is the second-highest child-obesity rate in the U.S.

The Junior League of Savannah is working to draw awareness to the issue here in the Coastal Empire by hosting the Fit Kids Fest from 2-5 p.m. Aug. 25 at Daffin Park’s Optimist Stadium.

The event is free and open to kids in grades k-6 as well as their parents.

The event will include interactive stations focused around the Choose My Plate and Let’s Move! initiatives. Station themes include a build a jump rope, an obstacle course and Let’s Move! dance instruction. There will also be a snack-food demonstration that incorporates the Association of Junior League International’s Kids in the Kitchen program.

Parents will have an opportunity to participate through health screenings provided by Memorial University Medical Center and a cooking demonstration utilizing locally sourced ingredients by celebrity chef Michele Jemison.

Nonprofit organizations also will be available on site with information about various area programs and services.

“At the very heart of the mission of the Junior League is ‘improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.’ We certainly see Fit Kids Fest as an opportunity to educate the public on how to fight childhood obesity,” league President Lisa Pinyan said.

The Savannah Sand Gnats will award free tickets to their 6 p.m. game following the Fest to the first 250 youth participants and are offering discounted tickets ($6 each) for the rest of the family.

For more information, call 912-790-1002.

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