ThumbingMyWay Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 The nurse from the school called this morning. Apparently my 6 yo daughter has been coming to see the nurse almost everyday since school started. Usually she goes in with a tummy ache and stays for about 15 minutes, then goes back to class. Now, my lil girl has always been an emotional little girl. Worries alot, gets scared easily, does not take risks, thinks alot to the point where she gets all anxiety'ed up and gets a tummy ache. The problem is...she doesnt express her feelings....she just keeps it all in, like she is scared to say hopw she feels for fear of getting in trouble or something. She is also scared that something will happen to me or mommy....like the house will burn down and she wont have a mom and dad anymore, and where would she live and who would take care of her, etc....I spose this is natural thoughts for a 6 yo...I dont know. I just dont want her to grow up timid and scared.....she gets so emotional over the littlest things....she crys alot too.... I just want to be able to get to the core of this issue.....but I dont know where to start......I mean at 35 years old I am just beginning to express my feelings more openly.....but how do i get my wee one to do it....so that she can rid herself of worrying all the time. Anyway....the nurse called cause she is concerned that this is becoming a habit...and it concerns me too.... Link to post Share on other sites
laRubiaBonita Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 your first course of action would be to ask your daughter if things were ok at school...if she had any problems or worries. next, i would see when these visits have taken place....is it after lunch, right before reading group, etc..... she could be trying to get away from something. is your daughter having bowel movements? maybe her dump time is during school, so she holds it in giveng her a stomach ache.... definately tell your daughter you are worried about her and love her and want her to be happy. Link to post Share on other sites
JS17 Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 TMW - this sounds exactly like me as a little girl. It took years of therapy to knock that out of me and i'm still struggling with it. This sounds like a pretty clear cut case of general anxiety most likely passed right down the line from mom (maybe dad). Find a balance in protecting her for both you and your wife, many times this happens with an over-protective parent. I don't know much about how to treat children with anxiety but I think it's something worth looking into. Maybe read some books or bring her to a child psychologist for a couple of sessions to get some kind of handle on what's going on with her. I would also suggest finding out exactly when she goes, maybe it's after recess and she's having fights with other little girls. Little girls can be so awful to each other. She may have developed a social anxiety. This is just one suggestion. Because it sounds so much like me I'll try to think back to my childhood and see if there's anything I could think of that would have helped me to open up and quelch my fears. Link to post Share on other sites
pearlsasinger Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 It sounds like an anxiety disorder (perhaps generalized anxiety disorder) to me. I second looking into a visit to a therapist. Link to post Share on other sites
Author ThumbingMyWay Posted September 14, 2005 Author Share Posted September 14, 2005 that is a huge possibilty.. Myself, my mother and her father are all worry-warts....so is my middle sister My wife has had bouts with Anxiety and panic disorder also....and her 2 brothers suffer from it.... I believe the worry gene got passed onto my daughter my wife and I have discussed child phyc in the past..we may half to proceed with that.... Link to post Share on other sites
Outcast Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 It is much easier to treat these sorts of conditions successfully if they are caught early. Don't be reluctant to consider a child psych; it could be the very best thing you ever do for her. Link to post Share on other sites
JS17 Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 If I can be completely frank with you, I don't want to sound harsh, but I think my life and my sister's life would be completely different today if my mother was able to recognize that she (and her mother before her) had anxiety and was treated. If I can suggest that while you are trying to help your daughter, you learn how to help yourself overcome anxiety. I would suggest the same for your wife. I believe that you can break the cycle as I believe (and it can be argued) that a good portion of anxiety is environmental in development. If therapy for the whole family is not feasible there are a lot of great books out there that will teach you how to cope with anxiety, exercises to help you, and ways to change your irrational thoughts to rational ones. She may do well with a CSW rather than a psychologist. Just make sure you talk with her counselor to monitor her progress. You don't want to find out after time has passed that the counselor is not making any progress with your daughter. It's easy for an adult to say that the counselor isn't working for them but not so easy for a child to see her own progress. Link to post Share on other sites
laRubiaBonita Posted September 14, 2005 Share Posted September 14, 2005 maybe she Just has to Poop! ask her before worring about something that may not even be the case! Gawd.....ya'll are worry-warts! Link to post Share on other sites
Author ThumbingMyWay Posted September 14, 2005 Author Share Posted September 14, 2005 maybe she Just has to Poop! :laugh: thats the first thing we ask when she says she has a tummy ache..... anyway, schooled called again...I guess she has a fever too....so maybe she just isnt feeling well. BUT....I still believe there are some deep emo issues that we need to get ahold of and set in the right direction Link to post Share on other sites
LauraBancroft Posted September 15, 2005 Share Posted September 15, 2005 My daughter was the same way and she was diagnosed with Anxiety. She asks me all the time if I'm going to die and I always try to soften the answer, I don't want to lie to her. She gets real emotional too, starts crying and saying she doesn't want me to die or her brother, father, other brother. It is hard. So we've taken the final steps to at least have the school counselor talk to her for a half hour everyday until she gets better and we are probably going to seek outside counseling as well. Link to post Share on other sites
sanso Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Again, along the "maybe she has to poop" line... Is is always at the same time? There might be something in the classroom she is trying to avoid. Maybe it's like personal share time, and she leaves to avoid being called on. Maybe she is being picked on. And on another note... WHY is the teacher allowing this daily trip??? As a teacher, I do not allow students to abuse the nurse. Bleeding more than a band-aid can stop, Broken bones and throwing up are my general rule of thumb. Ask your daughter's teacher to stop sending her! Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts