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How do I Explain This to my Daughter?
My daughter's 2.5. She has one friend in particular that she absolutely loves -- she's known him since she was 8 months old, and they see each other several times a week. He's the first person she asks for when I mention she's going to see a friend, and she often asks for him spontaneously. I think it's fair to say he's her first best friend.
But he's moving. In about a week, he'll be a few hours away, well out of regular reach. I don't have any idea how to explain this to my daughter. I haven't said anything yet, kind of in the hope that she's less attached than I think she is and that she won't notice that she's not seeing her buddy anymore. I'm pretty sure, though, that this is the wrong choice. I'm going to have to explain eventually.
Any advice? I'm probably making more of this than I need to, but it really makes me sad that she's going to lose her best friend before she's really old enough to understand.
Comments
She's not really losing a friend. It is just going to take more of an effort to get them together. She won't be able to see her buddy as much, but you can plan a Saturday together, or you both can meet in the middle. My daughter has a friend she has known since she was 18 months old. We moved away from her(20 mins away) when my daughter was close to three years old. We would plan special playdates. Now, we live 740 miles away and it is twelve years later and they are still buddies. We don't get to see them very much, but the girls still keep in contact through instant messaging and letters. Maybe there is another friend who she can spend some more time with, in the meantime. Being two and a half, I doubt your daughter will think too much about it, although....just wait until she is a teenager, then it would be major drama! Good luck!
I agree, at 2.5, she'll barely remember this friend in a year. I went through the same thing, and now, at 9, my daughter doesn't remember this friend AT ALL, only when I show her a picture of them does she even have a recollection. I told her, at the time, that her friend was moving into another house, far away, and we would only see her once in awhile. I tried to keep occasional playdates. In the meantime, we sought out new friends and filled her schedule with playdates with me, the dog, her neighbors, etc.