Katrina Mankani is the Managing Director of Jumeirah International Nurseries and Director of Positive Education at Fortes Education. Founded in 1981, Jumeirah Nurseries is the UAE’s most established early childhood education group, caring for children from 45 days to six years across ten branches in Dubai and Sharjah. In this article, she explains that tears will come, but they are simply the sign that a child loves and trusts their parents. Whenever a new little one joins the team at Jumeirah Nursery, there are always a few small goodbyes at the door. For any parent dreading this moment, she offers guidance to put minds at rest.
She describes a morning scene that occurs every time a new little one comes to the nursery. A parent crouches down at the door, gives one last hug, peels a sobbing little one off their leg, and walks to the car park trying very hard not to cry. Somewhere between the door and the car, a quiet thought often arrives, leaving parents wondering if they have got it wrong, if the child is not ready, or if they are a terrible parent for leaving them.
For anyone who has experienced this or suspects they are about to, she shares the truest thing learned after more than a decade of doing this work. Parents have not got it wrong, and those tears are not the problem people think they are.
Understanding Nursery Separation Anxiety
“A child who cries when you leave isn’t telling you something is wrong. They’re telling you they love you, and they trust you. That’s the whole foundation.”
She explains that a child who cries during a goodbye is not indicating that something has broken. Instead, they are showing that they have formed a deep, secure attachment, which is exactly what families hope to see. A small person who has learned that their parents are safe, warm, and theirs will naturally protest when they step away. Notably, that protest is the proof the bond is working. The job of the educators in the classrooms is simply to help that circle of trust gently widen to include the nursery team too.
It Takes the Time It Takes
Furthermore, she notes that settling in well is not a race, and it is certainly not something to be won on the first day. Separation anxiety usually peaks somewhere between eight and eighteen months of age, though every child writes their own timetable, and that is completely normal.
Therefore, the nursery does not settle children to a stopwatch. The first visits are best spent with the parent right there in the room, allowing the child to wander out to explore and then dart back to a familiar lap whenever they need to build their courage.
From there, the team lengthens each goodbye slowly, watching the child rather than the clock. Additionally, from the very first visit, every child has one special person who learns their name, their funny little routines, and the exact way they like to be comforted. This professional becomes their anchor when the room still feels new, providing a trusted source to tell parents the truth about how the mornings are really going.
What the First Few Weeks Usually Look Like
Most children, even the ones who sob on day one, find their feet within the first few weeks. Meanwhile, the shape of the transition is almost always the same. The tears that lasted ten or fifteen minutes start to soften, then they shorten.
Eventually, one ordinary morning, the child runs off to a friend or a favourite corner and forgets to say goodbye altogether. This happens not because they have stopped loving their parents, but because they have learned that their parents always come back.
However, she offers one gentle plea to families, asking them not to judge the whole experience by a single morning. A glorious first day followed by a weepy second one is not a step backwards, but is just a normal part of the process. Children find their feet in wobbles, not straight lines.
Practical Steps to Ease Nursery Separation Anxiety
To help with the transition, she advises keeping goodbyes short, warm, and exactly the same every day with one hug, one cheerful line, and a quick exit. While it feels kinder to linger, a long, anxious goodbye usually stretches the distress rather than soothing it.
Additionally, tucking something from home into the bag, such as a comforter or a little toy that smells of home, can be a powerful anchor in those early weeks. Parents are also encouraged to lean on the nursery staff and ask the key person how the morning truly went, as honest daily conversation will steady a parent far more than any brave face.
“Trust the process, trust your child, and trust us to tell you honestly how it’s going. In 45 years, we have never once regretted being patient.”
Supporting Long-Term Emotional Wellbeing
Moreover, that same patience carries on long after the settling-in weeks are over. From their very first days, the children practise little rituals, including Morning Mindfulness and Emotional Check-Ins, which give them words for their big feelings. Ultimately, it is a quiet gift that keeps giving long after the last tear at the door has dried.
So to every parent bracing for that first goodbye, she requests that they be gentle with themselves. Parents are allowed to find it hard because it means they love their children. Ultimately, families can trust the process, trust their child, and trust the people chosen to look after them.
For more information about Jumeirah International Nurseries, please visit
Further Reading
- Jumeirah International Nurseries Joins Eid Al Etihad National Day Celebrations at Ibn Battuta Mall
- Jumeirah International Nurseries Opens Flagship Preschool in Al Mamsha, Sharjah