For young children, starting school for the first time may be a very exciting time in their young lives, however, it could also prove to be a very daunting experience that some little ones struggle to cope with.
Liz Petrone, a New York mother of four found herself dealing with a nervous and anxious child but came up with a beautiful way of reminding her little one that she was always going to be with him and thinking about him.
Liz’s children. Image Liz Petron Facebook
Liz’s son started school in September; however, recently his anxiety levels started getting stronger lately. Taking to Facebook she shared her thoughts saying “The anxiety has been strong with the littlest lately. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s just that he’s been asking me every single morning since he started school in September: “Mommy, is today Christmas?” and forever I’d just laugh and say oh no baby, we have a ways to go, except now that’s not so true anymore and the anticipation is so much I think he might spontaneously combust.”
Last week she watched her son cry as he left for school on the bus. “I watched him start to cry through the bus window as they pulled away the other morning, his face changing at first imperceptible like the seasons and then crumpling into a big rush of sloppy tears,” she explained.
If you’ve had an experience similar to this, well then you know just how heartbreaking it is to see your child in such distress, and not being able to do anything about it.
Image Liz Petrone Facebook
So the next morning, Liz had an idea and as she and her son were waiting for the bus, she took a pen and drew a little heart on Luca’s wrist. She told him “I want you to look at this heart every time it feels like too much. I want you to look, and I want you to remember that no matter what happens out there someone is here waiting for you to come home. Someone loves you.”
In her post, Liz explains that as the bus arrived and Luca got on, she waited for him to appear at the window as usual so he could see she was still there. However, she says that once he got on the bus he didn’t look at his mother at all, but he looked at his wrist instead.
This is such a nice and simple concept that Liz’s whole family has begun using. “We’ve all been sporting them, including me,” she tells Scary Mommy. Nevertheless, while she is aware that it is not a long-term fix for her son’s anxiety, it’s working for now.
Image from Liz Petrone
She explained that she has always tried to come up with creative ways to comfort little Luca when his separation anxiety levels flare up. “I was trying to think of a way to give him something he wouldn’t lose during the day that he could look at and be reminded that I was with him and loved him even while we were apart,” she says.
Liz has said that her heart idea is just a comfort for now and that a “comfort can go a long way when you know someone loves you.”
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