Day 2: All is well, for a while
I went to work today. Tim took Bobbin to Big Girl Preschool. Overall it seems it went ok. She panicked a little when Tim went to the bathroom and she noticed he wasn't there. But she did well, and she still likes the school. As a special treat, he took her to the Science Center in the afternoon to watch the butterflies.
But when they got home and she saw I wasn't there yet, I guess more hell broke loose. By the time I did get home, all was well again and this evening's routine went much better than last, with Bobbin getting her jammies on without a fuss; letting me pause the movie without screaming; saying a short and sweet goodnight to me without sobbing for me to not leave her; going potty without having to be coaxed before bed; and actually getting tucked in without complaint or hysterics for "Momma". So I think we're making progress.
I have the rest of the week off. Tomorrow is going to be our first attempt at a full day of school. I'm sure she'll be fine. I'm not sure I'm ready to handle 8 hours of preschool though. It's sitting on the floor or those tiny chairs and tables that kill me ;-)
I looked up "anxiety" on our pediatrician's online advisor web site and found this description:
Anxieties can become severe and begin to interfere with the daily activities of childhood, such as separating from parents, attending school, and making friends. You should discuss concerns you have about your child's anxieties with your child's physician. The physician may then refer your child to a mental health professional for an evaluation.
A child or adolescent with severe separation anxiety may show some of the following:
- constant thoughts and fears about safety of self and parents
- refusal to go to school
- frequent stomachaches and other physical complaints
- extreme worries about sleeping away from home
- overly clingy behavior at home
- panic or tantrums at times of separation from parents.
So I'm concerned. But I don't want to overreact. I know that hauling Bobbin in to the doctor in the midst of a an already fairly significant time of transition that accounts for 95% of the anxiety she's experiencing isn't going to do anything to help the situation; it'll just feed her anxiety with thoughts that Mommy thinks there's something wrong. I know she needs a couple of weeks consistent routine to feel secure again that her life is predictable. That knowledge doesn't do anything to prevent me from wanting to press the fast-forward button on a magic remote control to see how this has all turned out though.
So all the energy that is fueling my anxiety about her anxiety (which is not NEARLY of the proportions it would be were I not taking my zoloft on a daily basis, thank you) perhaps is best spent fueling my body on the elliptical instead. I have been burning more calories in my workouts recently (when I'm not interrupted by hysterics). There's a plus... right?
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