Back-to-School
Butterflies? Helping Your Child
Calm the Jitters
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TEXT ASHLEY TILMADGE
olin was starting 6th grade in
a new school. At an orientation
event, he became clearly
unnerved as he struggled with
the combination on a sticky locker. His
concern, says mom, Lynn, was “whether
he’d be able to open his locker during
school when they only had four minutes
between classes.”
children with little experience outside
the home may exhibit separation anxiety.

“Being in the care of adults other than
their parents can be initially stressful for
some children,” notes Deb Cockerton, a
child and youth behavioral counsellor.

These youngsters also worry about
practical matters, such as finding the
bathroom and getting on the right bus.

Colin’s particular
is surprisingly
Check fear One:
common, and so is his apprehension
about the beginning of a new school
Okay As Is
year. Most ❏ kids, even excited ones,
Approved by: in the
experience a few
butterflies first weeks. And the source of such
_________________ uneasiness isn’t always obvious to
parents. Needs Changes
When they’re a bit older, children worry
about whether they’ll have friends
in their class and where they’ll sit at
lunch. Older tween-age students are
“concerned about how they will fit in
with their peers, and how they will do
academically,” says Cockerton. The start
of puberty and issues like cyberbullying,
body image and athletic ability may be
additional stressors.

❏ (Mark changes on ad)
What Kids Worry About
Age, experience
and temperament all
Date Sent:
determine a child’s concerns. Young
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Fairfax Collegiate
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fairfaxcollegeiate.com Phone:
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24 September 2015 washingtonFAMILY.com
P. Ray
Some worries are not obvious to parents.

Kerry Norris, principal and longtime
educator, says, “There are always some
things we don’t think of as adults…
We’ve had little ones who are afraid
to flush the toilet in the loud echo-
prone bathrooms.” Older kids who are
beginning to measure themselves against
peers, may feel humiliated if they wear
the “wrong” clothes or come to school
with a “nerdy” haircut.

Major transitions can cause feelings of
insecurity, even if a child has previously
done well. Lynn says that Colin was
“extremely successful and a model
student” during his elementary years.

Yet, as a kid who “thrives on routine and
predictability,” it took time for Colin to
adjust to the new academic expectations,
the more complicated schedule and the
pre-teen social dynamics of his new
school.