The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is a classic book written to help Kindergarteners and other school- or preschool-aged kids hold onto mom or dad while apart at school. You can find it at the library.

• Try reading it a few days in a row the week school starts.
• Use it as a jumping off point to brainstorm other ways you and your child can keep connected while separated.

According to Vancouver psychologist and child expert Dr. Gordon Neufeld, separation anxiety is completely normal in young children and not something we need to try to eliminate. But in our current culture where many kids are separated all day from parents early on for day care and, more recently, all day kindergarten, we have to acknowledge that kids are carrying a larger separation burden than ever before. The good news is we can help lighten that load by strategizing tools for them to hold onto us while apart.