Just one more hour and he’ll be climbing into our van and I get the play by play. I get confirmation that he did survive another day of 7th grade and that his algebra test wasn’t that bad, he had spent the night into early morning studying. I’ll hear about how the guys at lunch forgot about yesterday’s joke that was at my son’s expense and that he wasted all that time worried about getting laughed at in gym, because everyone is so focused on their own performance they couldn’t possibly notice he inherited my lack of coordination. I hope I get to hear he didn’t forget anything in his locker or get called out by a teacher for something they think is no big deal, but I know will take him at least a month to get over. I want to believe he’ll remember his locker combination on the first try and that everything else went smoothly, but I know better. In less than an hour he’ll climb into the van and with a painful grin and sarcastic tone begin to describe how great the day was and support this with evidence that never fails to break my heart. Unless, of course, it’s one of those days he doesn’t feel like talking.
School is a lot of pressure for kids these days. Learning to read in Kindergarten, how to be likable in first grade, how to keep up academically, socially and extracurricular in second etc. School related anxiety and depression is on the rise, with a majority of children never receiving adequate support. Contrary to former beliefs, anxiety is not only found in children who have difficulty learning or socially; no child is exempt from the potential to suffer school related anxiety. Often children experiencing anxiety during school are high achieving, or typically developing children. At Robyn’s N.E.S.T. we use a unique combination of strategies to combat anxiety. Each plan is customized as a team; child, clinician, parent(s), etc. and developed to last a lifetime. I would love to offer a free 15-minute consultation call and see if there is anything I can do to help your family be more successful. If you are curious about how we can help your family, click here and fill out the form provided.