Just last week when I was off having a baby, Ethan was over at his Aunt Jen's house.  Luckily for us, the birth of Nathan was smooth and without a lot of drama.  Jen was back home in bed by 11:30 p.m.  Ethan was having a high time with his cousins Madeleine and Carter and I wondered what would happen on Monday morning when everyone headed off to school and he was left alone with Jen until she brought him back home.  Apparently he remembered everything he had been taught because Jen had nothing but good things to say about how he remained cheerful when the party was over and everyone (except him) headed back to school. 

• Always say goodbye.  When we dropped Ethan off, we told him that we were going to get his baby brother Nathan and that we would be back to get him.  He gave us both a hug and that was it.  Considering that was only the second night in his whole two years of life that he had spent the night without Mom or Dad, he didn't seem concerned.  He was off to party like a rock star with his cousins and Jen said that he never even cried once about missing us.  Then when the cousins got up on Monday morning and went to school, Ethan stood at the door and told them both "goodbye."  He told Jen that Mada and Carter went to "school" and that he said "bye."  She mentioned that he clearly understood that his cousins were leaving, that he couldn't go with them and that his time with them was over.  By telling him exactly what was going on, he was able to deal with the disappointment of his cousins leaving him. 
  
• Help kids identify that weekends are different from weekdays or that work days are different from days off.   We always try to differentiate between weekends and weekdays in our house because it helps Ethan make transitions easier.  We get spoiled on weekends because Dad is home but on Monday morning it is time to be back to business.  When Ethan wakes up on Monday, he asks me to call his dad so he can tell him to leave work and come home, but he always remains cheerful (even when Dad tells him that Dad can't come home).  In the case of last weekend, Jen just told Ethan that everyone was going to school because it was Monday and he was fine.  She also told him that she was going to take him home to see Mom and Dad before he even needed to ask.  By keeping him in the loop, Jen averted any opportunities for Ethan to become unsure about where he was or what was going on.  He always knew what was happening and it gave him the confidence to properly deal with the transitions that were occurring.

Helping my child transition from one place to another or from one situation to another is an example of how "I Did Something Right."  Why don't you share with us one of your stories?