First day of school nervousness (for my child)

blueshirt2003

My son is 6 and starting 1st grade tomorrow. We didn't realize he had a "problem" with being nervous about things to the point of making himself vomit until he began soccer in the Spring of kindergarten. He'd get so nervous before games and get sick.

He told me tonight that he is very nervous about tomorrow. I'm kind of worried that he's going to get so nervous that he vomits on the way to school (we live right down the road so it's a short drive) or he'll vomit in the school.

Ugh..

Anyone else's child go through this? If so, what do you do to calm them?

 

monj76

We aren't going through it yet, but I do have a DS going into first grade in a couple weeks. I wish your DS good luck and you too.

lizloo85

My daughter didn't go through that (she is very outgoing and not shy at all), but I would make sure you have plenty of time to get ready in the morning. Try to make it as stress free as possible for him and tell him exactly what to expect. 

Did he get to meet the teacher and see the room? Even if you can't I would do maybe a "dry run" by driving him up there, showing where you will get out, where he will walk to. If you got a schedule showing how the day will go, talk with him about it so he knows what will be happening.

Best of luck!  

neverblushed

My DD occasionally has panic attacks when she has an upset stomach.  Worrying about whether she's going to throw up or not actually makes her feel MORE like she's going to throw up!  It's a vicious cycle.  It all started when she got sick with the stomach flu and missed going to an important outing with her older cousins -- a big disappointment for her at the time.  Ever since then, she has had occasional anxiety when she feels like she's going to throw up, especially if we're out somewhere.  It doesn't usually happen at home.

Once I realized that she was experiencing anxiety, I helped her learn to do deep breathing and to calm herself down so that the yucky feeling goes away.  This really helped because she felt she had some control over what was happening to her.

You might try teaching your son some techniques for reducing anxiety.  This really helped us!

littlemermaid

Yes my daughter goes through this with anything new.   I have my daughter take deep breaths, and just keep reassuring her that everything is going to be fine.  Make sure you stay calm too, otherwise if they see you unravel it just adds to their anxiety.

blueshirt2003

Well, luckily he didn't get so nervous he threw up. Thanks for the input ladies.