4 year old extreme Separation Anxiety - sudden onset
Hi, we’re currently going through a really difficult time with our 4 year old and are after some advice! She has always been a very happy and bubbly outgoing girl. We expected a few wobbles when she started nursery last september (she’d never been in childcare before until school nursery) but she was fine and the same when she started full time in reception class this september but was fine again, loved school!! Even tho this coincided with me going back to work after maternity leave she didnt seem phased.
We’ve had a two week half term and since she has been back its been horrendous! Cries every drop off, cries throughout the day at school - now at the point she takes her favourite teddy to school and spends lunch ‘helping teachers’ to keep her distracted. She is emotional, pale, tired, nightmaring, wont eat, complaining of feeling sick and anxious constantly :( When you ask her why she says its because she misses me, wants to stay with me all the time and just be at home as a family.
She is so unhappy at home and never really in the moment, constantly asking when she has to go back to school or worrying about things we have planned. She’s done horse riding since she was 3 and loved it but ive taken her today and she has cried and refused to go on the horse as she doesnt want to be without me in the arena.
We just dont know what to do for the best, is it just a phase (its been 4 weeks of ups and downs) and something we need to ride out or is there something else we should be doing?
Any help would be appreciated!
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I know this is an old post but my son was the same and he wouldnt say or do anything during school months. When we moved house and he moved school he came back to life, i found out that teachers were making him sad by excluding him in certain ways, he was being picked on and noone helped him but teachers were quick to tell him off for minor things. He was basically bullied by the ones i said were safe 😢
There is something underlying and i hope you manage to help her so she can be happy again x
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