Security

For the past two years, JC has been able to work from home about half of the time. It’s great. Silas is so much happier and better-behaved when he’s here, even if he’s not doing any active parenting.

Unfortunately, due to a policy change on the part of his employer (about which I have many thoughts, but don’t feel up to dealing with right now), he has to be in the office all the time, as of January 1. I’m working, now, too–a little bit. I’m teaching one class, so I’m only away from him for about 90 minutes at a time, during which the kids are with JC. Coming off of our big Christmas trip into this isn’t helpful. Poor Silas seems completely unmoored. Whenever we leave the house, he gets concerned that we might not come back to it. When I picked him up after my first class, he kept saying, “You came back from work!” like he thought maybe I was gone forever. He’s had more intense meltdowns than he has had in months. Naps are barely happening–only in the car, if at all. He’s back to waking a lot at night. When we are all home, he talks about how happy he is when “we all are in our brown house.”

Yesterday evening, he was a total mess until JC got home. Once they had roughhoused and read a few books, he was finally, for the first time all day, able to work.

It seems like he only has enough security and focus for solo play when I have enough staff on hand to entertain him!

He was so pleasant last night, after JC got back, that I hardly wanted him to go to bed–a big change from when I noticed it was only 3 pm and couldn’t imagine how I would survive until bedtime.

Silas, I have learned, is very sensitive to disruptions of any kind. Most kids are, but he seems especially so. I know he’ll get used to our new routine, but it will take a while. He’s not the only one upset about JC being in the office all day–I miss those work-from-home afternoons, too!