Book Spotlight: The Kissing Hand, for all the working-traveling parents out there

This morning, I left on my first solo business trip in a year. My daughter just turned three, and she understands much more than she did when I went on my last trip without her. We started talking with her about my trip about a week ago. When I explained that I would be going on an airplane without her, she was completely astonished! “No! I will go with you, Mama.” Eventually she got it: “Mama, are you going on your trip today? I will miss you!”

A few days before the trip, I pulled out an old favorite called The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. This beautifully-illustrated book tells the story of Chester, a young raccoon who is sad to leave his mother to go to school. The book focuses more on the separation than the school angle. I read it to her and explained that although I will be gone, she can hold her Kissing Hand close and remember how much I love her. She spontaneously kissed my hand during our second time reading the book and I just about lost it! She declared that she was a baby raccoon, and I was the mama raccoon, and that she would miss me but she would be brave.

I know there are other parents out there who travel without their children, or who may be separated for other reasons. This book is perfect to read before a separation. Home-based caregivers can use the language of the book to comfort your child.

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