Detachment and separation anxiety

Around 9—18 months, many children begin to experience a delicate moment: it's called separation anxiety. It is the phase in which they begin to understand that mom and dad can move away, even for a few minutes, and this new awareness can make them feel scared. The most frequent crying, clinging or nighttime awakenings are ways of saying: “I need to know that you are there.” What you can do: - Prepare your child for detachment, even a short one, by always telling him that you will come back.- Keep small greeting rituals: word, a gesture, a song. Predictability reassures him.- Avoid sudden disappearances or go out secretly.- Accept his emotions without judging them: crying is a form of communication, not a whim .- If it helps, leave with him a transitional object (plush, cover, or scarf with your scent): a symbolic bridge between presence and absence. It's a temporary and physiological phase: every return will strengthen trust.