fear in 6 year old boy of me forgetting him at school

[2b1g]

My son with be 7 years old in December.  He seems to be lacking confidence and was almost going to cry when I left him at school (1st grade)  the other day, although he went to preschool and kindergarten just fine.  He has a 7 year old brother (8 in September) and a 1 year old sister (2 in September).  We recently went to a little kid's amusement park where he refused to ride the same roller coaster he had rode every summer since he was 2 unless I went on it with him.  He needs to be reassured every morning that I will be there at the bus stop when he gets there.  I guess I'm a little confused; last year he said I treated him like a baby because I was at the bus stop.  Today, he would not go in the backyard to play if someone did not go with him; in the past, he would play by himself all the time.  All winter, spring and during the beginning of summer he asked if I would sign him up for football.  Now that the time has come to do so, he told me that he wanted to practice catching and throwing more before I signed him up, that he wasn't good enough.  I, of course, tell him that he does fantastic and he has always been athletic.  Why the sudden change?


This discussion is related to How long should I expect seperation anxiety to last for 6yr old at new school?.

[margypops]

What recent happenings? has he been seeing new Family or Baby sitters or friends, or could it be possible he has overheard anything to cause him to feel anxious,as he is worried about you being there could he have overheard any adult conversation, or any Scary TV or Video,on Familys splitting up.Give him a lot of positive attention talk to him try to find out what he has heard and correct any misconceptions he has.

[jdtm]

Comment on your title - did you ever forget him at a place or were slow to return?  This happened to our grandchild - her mother was very, very slow at picking her up one day from nursery school.  To this day (10 years later), she is still worried about being abandoned.  It was the "little" trauma which exacerbated her anxiety disorder.  And, I am not saying this "caused" her disorder; just put it in "full bloom".

I guess you need to constantly reassure him and always be there "ahead" of time when you or someone else go to pick him up.  But, your son is displaying "signs" of an anxiety disorder.  Is there a family history of this disorder?  Perhaps googling the term "childhood anxiety" or "anxiety behaviors" or similar phrases might shed more light on this topic.  Please write if you have any questions.  I wish you the best ..