As I backed out of the driveway for the last time, I glanced in the rearview mirror to see my children’s expressions. Would there be sadness? Would my four-year-old son shed tears? He’d spent three years of his life here, and it was the only home he’d ever known. We were leaving behind his beloved swing set, a source of endless hours of summertime happiness. My 20-month-old daughter had spent the entirety of her short life here. Would she miss the way the morning light entered her sunny yellow bedroom?
My husband and I had just sold our home. Our children were leaving their nest. To my surprise, the sweet voice of my daughter sung out: “Bye-bye house!” My son giggled and echoed her, waving goodbye to his swing set as we drove away.
When adults think of children facing the challenge of transitions, we tend to worry for them. How will they handle their first time with a babysitter? Will they be happy at preschool? How will they cope with moving? However, as this recent experience revealed, children embody flexibility and resilience. When they are properly equipped with attachment and security within their family, they are able to bend in the wind, just like the reed in Aesop’s fable. Their fundamental needs are met, and they are open to life’s new experiences.
All the late-night worrisome discussions with my husband had been for naught; not only would our children be okay, but moving would make them more flexible and bring us closer together as family. Would I miss the beautiful wooden swing set? Absolutely. Would I remember the morning light filtering into my daughter’s nursery? Forever. But everything was going to be okay. And so, I too whispered, “Bye-bye house!”
Brittany Ladd is a Montessori teacher and Literacy Specialist, who lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado with her husband, two children and two dogs. Everyone survived the move just fine, although Curious George (the beloved stuffed monkey) is still missing.
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