Article
How To Help Your
Child With First Day Anxiety
by Frank W. Thatcher Jr.
Summer
vacation is coming to a close. All the trips, fun activities, and camps
are soon to be wonderful memories. Hopefully, your child or children
had a great period of down time and are refreshed and ready for a new
and eventful school year.
I know many parents are quite ready for the new and eventful school
year. As much as we love our children, they can be exhausting for some
parents. Sometimes the down time the summer vacation offers breeds
some unexpected and even undesirable behaviors. Whatever the case,
school starting brings a pleasant reprieve for many parents.
Happy Day, The first day of school is just around the corner. What do
we do next as responsible parents? Run to the store to buy all the necessities
to have a successful student. The clothes, tools of the trade, everything
that could possible be necessary. We help them pack that bag and send
them on their way.
One major thing many parents tend to forget for whatever reason.
You may have prepared your little one with all the material items he
or she may need, but how about the head? Yes, the head and I don't mean
what's on top. I mean the inside. Their beautiful head may very well
be filled with a load of anxiety.
For some children this anxiety can be very real and overwhelming.
For some, it's healthy. For some children however, the anxiety of the
beginning of school can be terrifying. Many different situations that
may seem small to adults can be extremely difficult for some children.
For the sake of empathy, I'll give two examples. First, the simple act
of getting on a school bus and finding a place to sit can be terrifying.
If your child is not the most popular or even close, he or she may not
know many of the other students on that bus.
The act of having to walk down that isle on the bus while everyone watches
and then try to find a seat to share can be sickening for some children.
Of course, this happens first thing in your child's day so this
could have an impact on the rest of the day.
OK, maybe not the rest of the day. Maybe just until lunch time. This
is the second example I promised you. For some children, the act of
trying to get place to sit while eating lunch can be very difficult
as well. Try to imagine having to walk into a room and find a place
to sit when you are not a confident child. It's easy if when you walk
into the room and the others start yelling your name but that doesn't
happen very often for the average child, let alone the quite child that
may not have many friends.
Based on my own experience, these are very real, uncomfortable situations
for some children that should not be minimized.
What can you do for your child? How to help your child with that first
day anxiety? I'll tell you. Here are some proven ideas. Talk to your
child about these scenarios. Make sure your child knows he or
she is not alone when it comes to understanding how difficult these
situations are. Try to instill a sense of control which will ease the
sense of anxiety. It won't get rid of the problem, but a sense of control
empowers people including children.
Give your child real control over the situation by sharing a few concrete
suggestions to use that he/she is comfortable with. Suggestions that
your child feels they contributed. Make sure your child has much
of the say and is comfortable with the solutions that will be used.
The first day may be exciting for some. Remember, it may not be so exciting
for others. Instead it can be a head filled with anxiety based on lack
of control.
Lets wish for the best for all our children.
Copyright 2003 Frank W. Thatcher Jr. All Rights Reserved.
Frank
W. Thatcher Jr., an experienced
educator specializing in many areas such as behavior modifications,
emotional challenges, and parenting issues. He has assisted many in
setting goals and experiencing success for themselves and their children.
His website providing proven materials which promote success...
http://www.onlineshoppersmarket.com/index.html
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