Separation Anxiety in Young Children

Most separation anxiety children experience is but normal. Experts say that it is one of those healthy anxieties that children normally go through in their developmental stage. This only goes to show that the children are learning to be emotionally attached with their parents and other adults.

Another indication of a healthy attachment is the bouts of separation anxiety children have during their first day in school. You will find out if it is normal once the crying and the tantrums fade out 3-4 minutes after the parent leaves. However, if the children get clingier to their parents and are often times irritable, they might be having some difficulties in their transition period. This would tell the parents when to exert more attention and work towards their children’s needs.

The separation anxiety children feel sprout from their irrational fear that their parents are going to leave them forever. Most of them cry or throw tantrums before the parents leave. Others even cry when the parents return home because it seems to remind them about how they feel when the parents leave them. In some cases, the children themselves are the ones who are staying away from their parents and then become anxious and depressed because of that.

As the children grow up, they get used to the fact that the parents leave and come back. But the transition from the separation anxiety children experience to their full social development happens gradually. Some of them overcome their nighttime anxiety first. Others can go on without their parents in a day but still seem to feel depressed and sad. During this transition phase, some children tend to prefer a particular parent which you have to understand.

Separation anxiety does affect your daily routine but this is just a phase your children have to go through. It is said that children who have very frequent and very seldom separation are the ones who develop prolonged separation anxiety. To help your children cope up with this stage, avoid leaving them more than you need to and staying with them more than they need to.

More information about Anxiety Treatment | Back to Separation Anxiety Disorder.