Från sorgens öken till glädjens oas : En dagbarnvårdares strävan att ge trygghet åt ett barn som har svårt att skiljas från sina förräldrar

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this essay is to examine how I as a childminder was affected in my profession by a child whose long introduction did not lead to a desired result from the start. What was needed in order to get a child to thrive and feel secure at my practice? Would I be able to give sufficient emotional care to all the children when one child was demanding such a huge amount of attention and tenderness? The essay begins with a story from my family day care practice. When I reflected over the events in it, it awakened my issues. Through this writing, I want to come to a deeper understanding of what seemed to be working for the new child. As a result of this writing process, I have reached the conclusion that the introduction finally succeeded. It did so because of ethical decisions that I made and because I put an extended moral responsibility in my working role. The change in our relationship where I succeeded to meet Elton more empathically, made it easier for me to test and find new ways to deal with his sorrow. Theories that I use relate to the knowledge about the importance of attachment in the kinder garden, Vygotskijs’s thoughts about the play, the Aristotele’s forms of knowledge and their importance for my development as an educator. I also treat the importance of the knowledge of emotions in interhuman activity, aided by the philosopher Fredrik Svenaeus. I support my thought constructions on theories that I quote. The quotations give more weight to my results, but they also help me to critically analyse my way of handling the dilemma that was generated. The process of writing this essay has given me new knowledge, obtained through reflection, and I feel that I am better equipped for the future. I also feel more ready as a professional to encounter sensitive children in my practice.