Eliminate Your Anxiety About Leaving Preschool With Dress Rehearsal
We know what we should do in preschool. Leave them at the door (don’t enter class!), Say goodbye quickly and cheerfully (“Have a good time! I’ll be back for you in a few hours!”) And go. Every preschool teacher will tell you that even if they cry, it will only make you worse if you delay.
But it sucks. It really sucks – waving his hand and leave when your child of three shouting your name or some heart-rending prayer like, “not to leave me.” As much as we tell them that it will be fun and that their sadness will be temporary, many preschoolers just don’t want to be left behind.
New York Times reader Julie Wilson DiColo shared something that helped her three-year-old son cope with separation anxiety: his daily dress rehearsal.
She stands in the office, and her husband leads his son down the corridor, pretending to give him a lift to school. DiColo will imitate the teacher by changing her voice and announcing the plan for the day (sometimes as silly as: “Today we will be standing on our heads!”). Before they can practice grooming, the teachers will have to tear her clinging son away from her husband; now, after a run or two in the morning, he hardly cries.
The beauty of this is that it has become part of their daily routine, that he will eventually be able to voice what he no longer needs, and it works.
Other serious suggestions from NYT readers include:
- Plan an activity with your child after picking him up (read a book, solve a puzzle, bake a cookie). Remind them of the fun things to do when disembarking so they have something to look forward to.
- Bring your child a healthy snack such as apple slices to share with classmates. Distribution of food distracts the child from separation.
- Hugs are a lot of hugs. When one of the readers dumps her four-year-old son, she gives him 20 quick hugs lasting one second, pushing him until he laughs.
And if all else fails, as soon as you are out of sight, cry with them.