toddler caedence: November 2007

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Separation Anxiety

Lately, particularly this week, Caedee has been having a rough time being dropped off at school. I think it maybe due to many things, one of them being that I told her I was leaving on a business trip soon and no she couldn't go with me but I would bring her presents!

Monday morning she practically had a nervous breakdown when I left her screaming for mommy and saying she wanted to go home. I called the school later and she had calmed down, but it worried me terribly all day. She had less serious variations on the same fit every day this week. I was wondering what to do and got some advice. Give her a laminated photo so she can have a picture that won't get messed up, give her a personal item that would remind her of you, get her a calendar so whoever is babysitting can mark off the days until mommy's return.

I was wondering what personal item to give her last night trying to think what would remind her of me. Finally I remembered I had a bit of an old broken necklace that I'd had since I was 17 or so - an amethyst crystal. I had no idea why I had kept it around for so long not wanting to throw it away (the necklace was a gift from her dad). So this morning I gave her the piece of amethyst and told her it was a piece of mommy and it was hers to keep. I also told her that tomorrow we would go to the build-a-bear place and she could pick out her own little tiny bear and put that piece of mommy inside, then she could carry me with her where ever and she would have that piece of mommy with her.

I let her take the piece to school with her today. And she did throw a tiny fit, but it was much less severe than the ones earlier this week. After I took her things to her cubbie and looked back in at her in the lunch room, she was sitting still eating next to her friends. I think it helped!