Toddler Separation Anxiety

Skid has turned 2 and a half years old so hubby and I decided to enrol him in play school. He is a cheerful, easygoing kid so we we felt that he would adjust and like his new environment in no time.

Day 1: The teacher met him at the door. He was holding my hand and sensed that we were going to leave him. He walked past the door and looked back, laughing, refusing to enter the room.

Hubby and i went with him inside and the teacher led him to a table. He was easily distracted with some wooden puzzles.

We were able to leave him for three hours. When we got back, he was happy and eager to show off.

However, the teacher told us that he cried when heard one other kid cried. Nakigaya =)

Day 2: A repeat scenario of the previous day but this time the other kid was already crying when we brought him in. He stood by the door refusing to enter. We left him with the teacher and had breakfast. While doing so, we saw him pass by the restaurant. The teacher mentioned that they have circled the block twice already so that he would calm down. Hubby and I misunderstood and thought they were looking for us. Skid asked to be carried and refuse to let go. Hubby ended up sitting beside him in class and teacher later told us to not show ourselves the following day so that he can adjust more easily.

Day 3: We advised Skid to not cry if he sees the other kid cry. He is a sensitive kid and seemed to understand what we were telling him. It was raining and we parked a few meters from the entrance. While Skid was alighting from the car, the other kid (who cried) arrived at the same time and entered the room before us. As soon as the kid entered the room, he started bawling and asking for his mom. Upon hearing this, Skid refused to let go of my hand and went down on the floor crying. Taking the advice of the teacher (even if it pains me as a mother) i removed his hand from my grasp and leave him on the floor as he called my name.


i've read a bit about separation anxiety but i still have to read about the urge-to-cry-when-someone-else-does thing. Throughout the morning, i would think about how the other kid would periodically whine for his Mom. It was a long three-hour morning.

Tomorrow, we plan to arrive ahead of the other kid so that Skid is already in the room before he arrives. Hope it helps!