Home Alone vs UK Boarding School Culture: The Psychology of Separation | Piers Cross

This week I rewatched Home Alone — and realised it can be viewed as a surprisingly powerful study of child development, attachment, and the psychology of separation.

Kevin is eight years old — an age that matters deeply in the UK context, because it has historically been an age when many children began boarding school. In this short reflection, I explore key moments in the film through a boarding-school lens, drawing on the work of Joy Schaverien and Nick Duffell.

We reflect on:

• why “not knowing the basics” at eight is development — not failure
• the confusion children experience when we warn them about strangers, then send them to live with strangers
• the mother’s panic response and what it reveals about attachment
• rupture and repair — and why apology matters
• why many ex-boarders don’t tell their parents what really happened

A gentle, thoughtful Christmas reflection — and a question for all of us:
 What kind of childhood are we protecting… and what kind are we cutting short?

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Piers is an author and a men's transformational coach and therapist who works mainly with trauma, boarding school issues, addictions and relationship problems.

He also runs online men's groups for ex-boarders, retreats and a podcast called An Evolving Man.

He is also the author of How to Survive and Thrive in Challenging Times. To purchase Piers first book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Survive-Thrive-Challenging-Times/dp/B088T5L251/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=piers+cross&qid=1609869608&sr=8-1

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Many blessings,

Piers Cross

http://piers-cross.com/