A South Australian mother is going viral on the internet after sharing her top parenting hack to make school drop-offs a breeze.
Kate, who asked Newsweek not to use her last name, shared in a TikTok clip that she started hating her toddler’s last name when she dropped him off at school.
The pair had weeks of tears and tantrums, and staff at CeCe’s school had to literally “peel” CeCe from her mother, according to the video. “My heart is breaking,” Kate wrote on the text overlay.
Cece’s photo from the video. A clinical psychologist told Newsweek that children tend not to understand the concept of love until they are about 6 to 8 years old. Cece’s photo from the video. A clinical psychologist told Newsweek that children tend not to understand the concept of love until they are around 6 to 8 years old. @kate.nh
Looking for a way to make mornings easier, she decided to try out a school-going theory she heard on a podcast a few years ago with her 2-year-old.
Every day, mother and daughter draw something on each other’s hands before leaving for school. This is to help you feel connected throughout the day, even when you’re apart.
They drew simple circles to represent hearts, stars, smiley faces, and her new favorite, balls.
“I asked her what she wanted me to draw, and it evolved over time. This week she wanted a frog, but (something) was a little difficult to draw. “I did,” Kate told Newsweek.
Kate’s clip has been viewed 8 million times and recorded more than 1,000 comments since it was posted on September 11th.
Some TikTok users, like @spookytoriii, shared what parents do before dropping their kids off at school. “Mom used to spray perfume in my sleeve so I could smell her nearby when I was feeling anxious.”
Another user commented that she had recently read a post about children not wanting to be dropped off and picked up because their home is nice, warm, and safe. “Good job, Mom,” they added.
Newsweek spoke to clinical psychologist Dr. Martha Deiros Corrado. He calls these pictures “love buttons” and explains how children need something physical to help them understand the idea of continuing to think of someone when they are physically apart. Explained.
“Drawing little love buttons on ourselves or the other person is a visual representation of our connection, and that’s what adults call love,” she told Newsweek magazine.
Dr Deiros Corrado, author of the Sunday Times bestseller How to Become an Adult, teaches parents that if you press the love button when you’re thinking about your children, your children will feel it too. I advised them to tell them that they can do it.
“When we get back together, asking, ‘Did you push your love buttons? I pushed a lot,’ means saying, ‘I was thinking about you today, were you thinking about me too?’ “It’s the same as being there,” she says. Said.
“As children grow, love buttons may become matching bracelets, key chains, or photos. Even if children understand the concept of love, many do not “It’s reassuring to have something to connect you with,” he said. Deiros Corrado said.
Although it can vary a little from week to week, Kate told Newsweek that CeCe loves the activity and that the drop-offs have improved.
“Small acts so stupid, but on some days they can make all the difference in the world,” the mother wrote in the text overlay.