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Coming to terms with daily separation: observation of two children's transition from home to nursery

This paper uses material from two weekly observations of the transition of two 2 year-olds into nursery care. The observations are ‘participant’ observations which were undertaken by the author who was also working in the nursery at the time. The paper focuses on the emotional challenges and developmental shifts for each child. The first observation describes a little boy's efforts to cope with the loss of his mother during the day, and his separation anxiety and sibling/peer conflicts, which went relatively unrecognised by teachers. A surge of depressive pain is observed. The second observation looks at a little girl's struggle with the overwhelming anxiety of separation. A change is observed, as routines are established and she reunites with her parents each day; she gradually seems to begin to internalise a sense of being contained in her mother's mind even when she is separate. The developmental tasks for this age group are discussed and the process of developing confidence in the presence of a good internal parental figure (object) is seen to be essential for the development of external relationships outside the family. The necessity to support all children, but especially those who struggle most with separation, is discussed.