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helping kids cope with parents being gone

molliedbmolliedb
in Austin Babies

any ideas that you have are welcome!!  kevin and i are leaving friday for our haiti mission trip and we are leaving the girls for 8 days with their grandparents.

i have set up for a familiar face to be at our house every day we are gone (my sister, friends, awesome babysitter they love etc).  these will also be helping hands for the grandparents too :)

i will have meal plans and a fully stocked fridge/pantry so they will have familiar foods.

i am thinking about making a big envelope for each day with a letter from us and an activity or something (new coloring books, books, dvd).

 

other thoughts or suggestions???  i'm starting to get nervous :(

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Re: helping kids cope with parents being gone

  • userdeleteduserdeleted member

    Those all sound like great ideas. I bet that they surprise you and do fine. The grandparents will probably spoil them rotten :)

    I'm assuming you can't do any phone calls or video chatting? Maybe they'd like a little recording of you saying goodnight to them. Or even one of those Hallmark books where you can record yourself telling the story. 

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  • august8080august8080 member

    I was able to skype with my sister (though her internet was spotty) while she was in Haiti--is that an option?

    I think video recordings of the two of you would be awesome. DS loves watching video of our family on my/DHs phones and when I left yesterday and he got upset, DH said he calmed down really fast when he suggested they watch video of mama. 

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  • mrssnflwrmrssnflwr

    They're going to do GREAT! We went to Europe for 2 weeks when DD was 2 1/2. She had a blast with my mom. They talked a lot about what we were doing-- flying in an airplane, riding on a bus, boat, etc. She enjoyed using her "Little People" airplane and pretending the people were mommy & daddy riding in the plane. 

    New activities would probably be a great idea just to help break up the time a little for them and your parents. 

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  • AustinBride06AustinBride06
    Granted, the one time my parents sent us to the grandparents' house for a weekend when they went to Mexico, we were a bit older than your girls.  But what really helped was getting spoiled by the grandparents.  Meaning, going out for pizza at lunch after walking around the mall and getting a little trinket or toy, grandfather making a huge pancake breakfast, playing outside... we totally had a blast and I was usually the one that gets CRAZY, embarassingly homesick.
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  • mlf625mlf625

    Don't be nervous, they'll have a blast!  I remember my parents leaving for a weeklong trip for the first time when I was about five.  My mom was a big stressball and I was like "yeah, yeah, yeah, bring on GRANDMA!"  They'll just love you all the more for returning home the next week.

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  • NoVA-grlNoVA-grl
    Wow, sounds like you are prepared! Now I'm starting to freak out about being gone for 5 days this spring.  I am definitely saving this thread!
    Have a great trip! I'm sure everything will be fine :-)
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  • ec3under4ec3under4
    When I left my oldest 2 to go to ireland for 10 days, I had a little present for each of them to open every morning that we were gone(plus 2 extra days worth which was a godsend because of our flight delays). Not Only was it something they really enjoyed/looked forward to, it was also a countdown to when we would be home. Somedays they got a joint gift and others they each got a special something. I wrote a little note on each package from them. From past experience, I have found it is NOT wise to leave pictures of Yourselves or a recording of your voice because...at least for my kids, that ensures immediate crocodile tears. Other than that, They will do fine!!!
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  • misjennmisjenn member
    Could you make some family face cards. We did this before we left and Em loved it. If you make pairs of the faces it makes a fun matching game. Then they get to see your picture and have fun playing a game.
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  • PMBridetobePMBridetobe member

    When my hubby is deployed, he makes tapes for them but now he would do little videos doing some of thier (his and thiers) favorite activities.  

    You will have fun and they will have a blast with the Grandparents but miss you when you get home!

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