A mother writes: We’re having all kinds of trouble with our five year old daughter. She won’t leave my side and continues to obsess over my leaving the house or her having to go to school. I feel trapped by her separation anxiety. Help!
Separation is one of the most pivotal, and potentially problematic, developmental steps in early childhood. While some young children proudly ascend the steps of growth, others become terrified by the prospect. Worries about starting school, troubles sleeping in their own bed, and startle responses when a parent leaves the room, are common to the separation-challenged child. Parents often feel captive by the child’s shadowing anxiety, held hostage by demands to announce whereabouts, accommodate to rituals, and relinquish adult needs.
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A
mother writes: Our 11 year old daughter never wants to sleep away from
home. She turns down sleepover invitations from friends and tells us
she never wants to leave home. We think she has separation anxiety. Any
suggestions?
One
of the more frustrating and confusing dilemmas of parenthood occurs
when children’s path towards independence is thwarted by separation
issues. Fears, anxiety, or apprehension over some dreaded experience
grips children’s will, interfering with their ability to assume the
normal expectations for their age. Sleeping by themselves, sleepovers
at a friend’s house, sleep away camps, or other opportunities that
entail overnights away from home, are passed up. Parents vacillate
between worry and exasperation as they watch their children
persistently avoid the steps that are so important to future emotional
independence.
Continue reading "Helping Older Children Conquer Separation Problems" »