ABSTRACT
At key points of transition in our lives as adults we may feel and communicate both excitement and insecurity. However much consideration has been given by parents to introducing their infant or toddler to childcare facilities, there may be times when there is a momentary mismatch between the outer and the internal reality of doing so. The outer reality may be that a parent or carer has made a decision to give herself time apart from the child across a day. It may be to encourage her child’s opportunities for socialisation. On the other hand, a parent might be returning to work as an important part of her own continuing professional and personal development. In the current financial climate it may be for economic reasons. For some others it may have been a decision made for them for social care reasons and as a result of a child protection issue. Whatever the reason for the choice that informed the decision, it is likely that the inner reality of the decision feels from time to time less clear cut. A variety of emotional responses to the separation may at different times and because of different circumstances temporarily unsettle us.
