Return to class may bring anxious moments
When six-year-old Roman Burrell returns to school this week, a little black onyx rock will sit in his pocket to help keep his anxieties at bay.
Roman suffers from separation anxiety, a disorder where a person becomes anxious after being away from someone such as a parent.
And after being at home in a family bubble, mum Krystal Burrell is expecting Roman’s anxiety to be worse when he tries to navigate the first day at Stratford Primary School all over again.
‘‘He’s just very fearful. He goes through all the scenarios in his head of what might happen and has a lot of fear about that,’’ she said.
Krystal has been working closely with teachers to prepare him for school in level 2.
‘‘The school have been amazing,’’ she said.
‘‘He also chose a black onyx stone, so he will have it in his pocket and whenever he’s feeling anxious he can touch it and feel connected to home again.’’
Spokesperson for the New Zealand Association of Counsellors, Jean Andrews, said it was completely normal for children to feel uneasy leaving their bubbles for the first time after seven weeks.
‘‘Our young children have been told they have to live in a bubble and only can see Mum and Daddy for weeks on end.
‘‘Now suddenly they’re being told it’s OK now, those nasty bugs aren’t as bad as we thought, you can go outside and you need to go back to school.’’
She said separation anxiety stemmed from change and children needing to adapt to new circumstances.
Common signs of separation anxiety included children being clingy, not coping with situations they normally would have coped with, not wanting to go to school and fighting with peers more easily.
‘‘All of those things are quite common with children adjusting.’’
But it would also be a hard time for parents, Andrews said.
‘‘Of course, many parents will want to helicopter, they’ll want to hold on to their kids and look after them and teachers will experience more parents coming in and checking on their children.’’
But being in a safe and supportive environment and keeping to a routine will help children get settled back to normal, she said.
‘‘Most children readjust.’’ will recover and