There’s no place like home: Why we get homesick

Air Date: July 25, 2012

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home," said Dorothy, played by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz." (AP file photo)

Hour 2

“There’s no place like home,” said Judy Garland as Dorothy in the 1939 classic film, “The Wizard of Oz,” as she clicked her heels and hoped for the return to the comforts of her own bed and her beloved Auntie Em and Uncle Henry. Today we call it “homesickness,” and it’s an emotion shared by children and adults alike, particularly this time of year, when kids are away at summer camp or preparing to head off to college for the first time this fall. What is it about home and family that make it difficult to leave? Why is the emotion often accompanied by shame? What does it feel like to be homesick and what can parents do to help their children cope with those feelings? And finally, what is it about the American spirit that encourages us to explore the world but at the same time cherish being home? In this hour of Radio Times, we talk about homesickness with SUSAN MATT, professor of history at Weber State University and author of “Homesickness: An American History;” and clinical psychologist CHRIS THURBER, author of “The Summer Camp Handbook.”

Listen to the mp3

Listen:
[audio: 072512_110630.mp3]

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