DD is 5 and over the Christmas holidays it seems that she's gone from being carefree and happy to full of anxiety. I first noticed it when I had a bad vertigo episode and couldn't come to DMILs house with her as planned. She still went with DH but was very tearful that I didn't come and asked DH to call me a few times to say she missed me. She is autistic so I put it down to a last minute change to plans issue more than anxiety.
We then had plans to go to my DFs house for 2 nights and DH was staying behind for work. For the whole week prior to us going DD would spontaneously start crying that she would miss daddy when we went to grandads house. It seemed to always be on her mind. We all ended up getting sick so couldn't go.
Now her anxiety seems to be every day. We get her ready for school completely fine with no battles but when she is about to leave the house she just sobs. She says she will miss mummy and daddy and doesn't want to go. That she doesn't want to see everyone, she just wants to stay at home. We try to talk about all of the fun things she will do that day and she usually settles a little but will start crying when we get close to the school. DH took DD to school this morning and we couldn't settle her after her initial tears. He said she just cried for the entire walk to school and when he was handing over with the teacher she mentioned that DD has been crying at school a lot too. She even cries at pick up time because she missed us.
She's been having nightmares too recently, and 2 nights ago woke up crying saying she doesn't want me to die when I'm 80. We have no idea where it came from.
She has never been like this before. She never got separation anxiety, she liked nursery and school up until now. I don't know if this is a normal thing for children her age? Im also autistic and I started to develop severe anxiety around 4 or 5 about being away from my parents and them dying and I don't know if I should be concerned or if I'm letting my own experience worry me.