Separation Anxiety

I had a mom reach out to me the other day about her daughter and how she is struggling with separation anxiety being at school for the first time. Her daughter is starting Kindergarten this year, just like my son. I let her tell me all about how she was feeling so sad that she couldn’t do anything to help and how her daughter would often ask to get see her sister in the second-grade class so she could get a hug. While this is a great coping mechanism, it is one that cannot last forever.

My immediate thought was, print a family picture, laminate it and send it to school in the lunch box. This was it will be a nice comfort to have during an appropriate time of the school day. Separation anxiety is something many kids struggle with but often it is for short periods of time. The benefits they will gain from being away are so much greater.

In addition, being a teacher in the past, I highly recommend a short but sweet goodbye in the mornings. The more you hold on and let your child cling to you, or “get one more kiss”, “one more hug”, the harder it will be to let go and move on from the situation. Don’t let it dwell. When it is time to leave, say so. Do a proper goodbye and leave. Do not let your child manipulate you into guilt. They are SO good at it. Stay strong and move on. If your child really needs you throughout the day, their teachers/caregivers will give you a call. If you don’t feel that way, then you shouldn’t be bringing your child to that school to begin with.

Anyway, here’s to another back-to-school year! May our children learn many new things, and may you be able to eat a hot lunch all to yourself today!