Anxious nearly 13 year old

[Allthestarsarecloser]

My nearly 13 year old is really anxious- he’s 13 next month. He’s been sleeping on a mattress on the floor next to me in bed for months now because it makes him feel safe & he holds my hand at night.

We have tried loads of things to get him back in his own room- new bed etc but he always ends up back on the mattress- I don’t really know what to do- he had some counselling at the end of the last lockdown & has been fine for ages generally bar the sleep thing.

Aibu to worry? In the day he’s quite teenagery at times & likes his own space etc. I am sure he’ll grow out of it- I just just didn’t expect to have bed time issues again at this point. We have talked about it lots & he says he likes sleeping next to me which is sweet but I don’t want him to become too used to it at nearly 13- he’s near puberty so assume it will stop then.

I am worried tho but feel like it’s been a bad year so maybe it’s that?

Aibu to worry?

I think it's inevitable that you worry about it and he probably will just grow out of it, and it's possible that now it's just a habit that he's got into. In the meantime, can you help him find something that helps him to sleep in his own room. Maybe audio books? Nothing too exciting or worrying - maybe an old favourite? Maybe blackout blinds, or alternatively, a night-light. Depends what it is that's interrupting his sleep.