Once Upon a Feeling
Once Upon A Feeling is a storytelling and parenting podcast that honors children’s emotions and the complexity of caregiving. Through thoughtful conversations and developmentally informed insights, it helps parents create emotional space—so guidance comes from presence, not pressure.
Once Upon a Feeling
Once upon a feeling #5 "When mom goes out" read by Annatina
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That heavy feeling in your tummy when mom or dad has to leave. What do you do with it? And what if someone told you it was completely okay to feel it?
In this episode of Once Upon a Feeling, Rita's daughter Annatina reads "When Mom Goes Out" — a children's book written by Dr. Anna Huang, clinical psychologist and co-founder of The Mindful Peach. It's a story about Eden, a little girl who feels sad when mom has to go, and how she and dad find their own adventure while she's away.
After the story, Rita sits down with Annatina for a real conversation — one kid to the world — about what it actually feels like when a parent leaves, what helps, and how she's learned that goodbyes don't have to be scary.
What you'll hear in this episode:
— Annatina reads "When Mom Goes Out" aloud, in full
— What it feels like in your body when someone you love leaves (Annatina's answer will stay with you)
— The gray bunny, the special goodbye, and other real tools kids use
— How tracking a plane together can turn worry into connection
— Why one parent leaving can also mean a different kind of fun
— The one piece of advice Annatina has for any child who misses their mom or dad
This episode is Part 1 of a two-part experience. Next up: Rita interviews Dr. Anna Huang herself — the psychologist and mom behind the story — to explore what's really going on in your child's mind when sadness hits, why parental guilt is biological, and how emotional literacy starts earlier than you think. Listen to both. The story and the science belong together.
"When Mom Goes Out" is part of the Eden's Big Feelings series by The Mindful Peach — bilingual children's books covering the six primary emotions, for toddlers and kids ages 2–6. Available in English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and more.
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Welcome to Once Upon the Feeling. This is the podcast where we talk about all things growing up. The fun parts, the weird parts, the messy parts, and the magical parts too. I'm your host, Rita, and I'm so glad you're here. Are you ready? Let's dive right in. Hi everyone, welcome to today's Once Upon a Feeling. This week, we are going to read a story written by Dr. Anna Huang. She is a clinical psychologist based out of Orange County, California. And she is also a co-founder of her company, The Mindful Peach. The Mindful Peach publishes stories about feelings for children, and they are usually published in multiple languages. So if you're interested, please check them out. I will include the link to their company through the website in the description below. This particular story is about when mom goes out. It's about when children get dropped off at school or when mommy and daddy goes out for an event and cannot take them with you. Today my daughter Annatina is going to be reading the story for us. So here it is. Enjoy.
SPEAKER_00When mom goes out, a story about dealing with sadness, written by Dr. Anna Huang. Read by Anna Tina Betzela. Eden is having a wonderful day. She enjoys playing with her family. Then Mom says, Eden, remember what we talked about? I need to leave now. You will stay with Dad. I will miss you and I will come back. Eden and Mom make their special goodbye heart. It's one way Eden and family shows that they care. Eden feels sad when Mom has to go. No daddy, I want mommy. Only mommy, Eden shouts. It's normal to feel sad when someone we love leaves. Goodbyes are hard. Says Dad. Playing with me is different than playing with Mom, and it can still be fun. Let's go on an adventure, says Dad. Eden and Dad pretend they are on a camping trip. They build a great big fort. Watch out for bears. Then Eden goes exploring to see what's outside. He sees an orange butterfly and some yellow flowers. Eden imagines she is leading a special parade. She marches to the beach. Eden thinks of Mom and she feels sad again. She misses her mom. They draw pictures for her. It can take time for sadness to go away. We will get through this together, says Dad. Suddenly, Eden hears the door. Mommy, Mommy, you came back, she shouts. I missed you. I was so sad you went away. Daddy and I went on the best adventure. Look at what we did, says Eden, pointing to the Great Fort. I miss you too. I'll always come back. We love you no matter how you feel, says Mom, giving Aidan a big hug. The end.
SPEAKER_01Thank you for reading the story for us, Anatina. Um, now I would love to ask you some questions about how you deal with it when mommy and daddy go out and not taking you with us.
SPEAKER_00Well sometimes I feel like there's a big str like somebody dropped a stone in my tummy or my chest.
SPEAKER_01That's where you're feeling your body. Yeah. And what do you do when that happens? How do you what do you do to make yourself What do you do to make yourself feel better?
SPEAKER_00I have the special stuffy that my mom gave to me when I was about four or five. It's a gray bunny. Um, it's very special to me.
SPEAKER_01And whenever I leave, we always say what?
SPEAKER_00I'll always come back.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Mommy and daddy always come back, and we have always come back. Am I right?
SPEAKER_00Yep, you've never broken that promise.
SPEAKER_01But I know sometimes we're still a little bit of like a little scared, thinking that something might stop us. I know daddy is on a plane home right now, and sometimes we're worried about delays and something unexpected. What do we do together to help us get rid of that feeling to make us feel better?
SPEAKER_00Well s m my mom on her phone, she can track the plane so we can see like where he's at and how long it'll take for him to get home. Sometimes we can text or call him right before he gets on the plane or off the plane. And it just lets us know that he is okay and that if he has landed.
SPEAKER_01It feels good to stay connected with him even when he's not here. Yeah, basically. Now, I know when mommy leaves the house to do certain things and leave you with daddy, it's not always tears. There's some excitement too. Can you tell me a little bit about that? Very much like Eden in the story with his with her dad.
SPEAKER_00Well, when I was little, or also now too, uh, I get a little excited when one of my parents would go out. For example, when my mom went to Bhutan, me and my dad, we got to open up our new Nintendo Switch. We got to play on it. I got to beat my dad. That was really fun. And for example, just now when my dad was in Switzerland visiting my grandparents and basically his parents, my mom got we got to get our nails done together. We got to do a bunch of fun stuff. I got to help her cook, make this lasagna dumpling thing, which was really delicious, have spend fun times with my friends, and make pancakes. And that was also fun too.
SPEAKER_01So we all get to do different fun things together. And sometimes those things are only available when there's only one of us here.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, like my dad, he cannot paint my nails.
SPEAKER_01Now, if there's another child out there who is feeling sad about mommy or daddy leaving, what is the one advice that you will give them to help them feel better?
SPEAKER_00You can track you can track where the plane is, maybe say hello before they leave off the plane or when they get get off the plane? Or if it's just a dinner.
SPEAKER_01There's no planes involved.
SPEAKER_00Then what? If it's just a dinner, then you make the best of it.
SPEAKER_01So Pick something you love to eat, love to do, love to watch, love to make, like create a cute fun routine to take your take your mind off it, read a fun story.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and sometimes before my dad leaves, when I was little we would make drawings for each other, and um when they're in the different place, you can maybe send letters or call them, text them, and say hello.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. And when you're sad, what do you do? What do you remember?
SPEAKER_00They're g always gonna come back. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Well, thank you so much. Really appreciated your story reading and you answering all the questions helping out the other kids. You're welcome. Saying goodbye to a mommy or a daddy, a school drop-off, or when they go out in the evening can feel quite scary. But it is also an opportunity for you to have some fun with your nanny or babysitter or whoever is taking care of you. Because remember, mommy and daddy always come back, and there are fun things you can do when they're gone. With your grandparents, with your nanny, maybe some fun games, an awesome story, or dancing to goofy music. That's it for this episode of Once Upon a Feeling when Mom Goes Out, a story about dealing with sadness. Stay tuned for the next episode of Beyond the Stories, where I, Rita, actually get to interview Dr. Anna Huang, the writer and the doctor behind the story behind the mindful peach, and really talk about what is going on in your child's psych, brain development, and all the good things when the sadness feeling hits. Thank you so much for tuning in. If you liked it, please share it with your friends and family and take care of your heart. See you next time.