Mom Is on a Trip

While Kinji’s dad visited his son in the United States, his mom traveled to Thailand. When Kenji was with his father, he did not miss his mother because he was excited to spend this time with Dad and his relatives. Once I took care of my grandson at his home for four more days (beyond time spent with Dad?), Kenji commented that he missed his mom when playing because his mom was always there. I immediately acknowledged Kenji’s feelings about his mom’s absence. Through this encouragement, he returned to playing with his toys.

When mom was gone, we also talked with her on the phone. Initially, Kenji did not want to use the FaceTime feature when talking to his mom because he said it would make him sad. Eventually, Kenji decided to talk to his mom on FaceTime. During the conversation, he said it was hard to see his mom’s face and not be with her. After that phone call, we stayed busy until mom’s return with school and various outings.

Once Mom returned from her trip, Kenji was happy to have his mom around again. During the first few days after Mom’s return home, I limited my time with my grandson so he could spend quality time with his mom.

This experience taught our family that when Kenji was traveling with Dad and not in his daily environment, he is happy. But once Kenji returned home without his mom and daily routine, he really missed his mother. He was also happy at school because this was a regular activity without mom. As our family plans for Kenji’s upcoming trips overseas, we are considering how we can support him as he learns to live in a new country and the United States.

Happy travels!

Joyce