Cries every other time at 3K drop off
CarolinaKatie
member
I wish I understood what is going on in my son's little head. Every non-school day he asks a zillion times when he is going to school. He talks about his classmates, his teachers, his artwork, etc. And in the first 3 or 4 weeks, he was fine - ran right in. Now, more times than not, he cries and hangs on me at drop off. But not every time. I can't pinpoint it. So irritating. I thought Tuesday he would since it had been a week (they didn't have school last THursday). But he was fine. Yesterday, he kept asking to go to school. But today, he hid behind me, refused to go in, cried, and finally had to be carried in by his teacher. We were the second ones there and it was hard to watch all his classmates file in happily.
I so wish he was born a month later so he'd be a grade behind! He's the youngest in his class and I feel like it has something to do with it. I remember last year in his 2K class, kids who turned 3 in the schoolyear acted like this sometimes but it was acceptable in the 2-year-old room. I feel like everyone is looking at him weird since he is doing it in 3K. Of course, he NEVER did this last year!
Anyway, I was very upset leaving today. Can anyone else relate/help?
Re: Cries every other time at 3K drop off
My DD is 3 1/2 and she has been going to daycare since she was 14 weeks old. Some days she runs in and barely says goodbye to me, and other days I have to leave while she's crying in a teacher's arms. I honestly think that part of it is the age and temperment. She's always fine a few minutes later, but some days she just doesn't want to go and is annoyed that it isn't her choice. KWIM?
Anyway, I've been trying some different strategies for those difficult days. So far this is the best one:
We sit outside her classroom to take off her coat and I ask her what we can do during drop-off so that she won't be sad when I leave. So I'm letting her help me come up with a solution to our problem *and* have some control over when I leave.
She said that she wanted me to play with her before leaving. So we agreed that she would choose the activity (they have "free play" during drop-off) and I would play with her for 3 minutes, and then I would leave. She tried to stall when the 3 minutes were up, but she didn't cry or cling to me when I left.
Good luck!
Griffin has been going to daycare since he was 5mo... and rarely ever cried at drop off - until a few months ago ... he's 3.5. He suddenly started crying HORRIBLY at drop off - so sad - talked about it at home, etc. Nothing bad was going on at school- he'd say he had fun, etc.... he just missed us.
they go through phases.... He's been a lot better about it the past few weeks- but now and then he'll still get really sad- usually when he's more tired and didn't sleep as much... could that be it?
I got him "Llama Llama Misses Mama" book which has helped a lot- we read it at bedtime and then can talk about it in the am if he's feeling sad. The Kissing Hand is another good one.
Griffin is on the younger end for his class, too (many are turning 4 now, he doesn't until March 30th)... and he's just all around sensitive. It SUCKS the days he cries- I feel horrible- but I know he's having a blas there a few minutes later.... I used to be a taecher and kids always stopped crying after a few minutes.... just remember that
Thanks, ladies. Goldie, Griffin sounds a lot like Nathan. He is just all around sensitive too. I should get Llama llama. I got it free though the dolly parton book initiative last year, but I gave it to my sister. Her son was having these kind of issues too at the time (roughly same age too), but his were not quite as bad. I'll ask for it back. And Nathan's teacher told me about the kissing hand trick and we do that - kiss each others hands and hold them to our hearts.
Today was terrible. He started to go in, but a parent was inside the classroom and started walking toward him while very loudly turned around to say something. That startled him and all of the sudden he did not want to go to school. ugh. He talked excitedly about school all yesterday and before school. Then we get there and he loses it.
We decided to take him out of late stay. Last year for 2 year MMO, the hours were 9-1 and he loved school. So this year, at the same place, preK is just 9-12 with the option of an hour late stay (they eat lunch and play on the playground in that hour). Maybe all that is too much for him, especially since they change classrooms and teachers with late stay. I don't need that extra hour anymore since I got laid off from my WAH job this month anyway. And saves $30 a month! Anyway, he might start doing better at drop off knowing he goes home before lunch.