This year my DD has gone from being a regular 7-8 year old to a complete cling-on! It has been going on for around 3 months now, seems to be slowly getting worse too.
It started with her not wanting to go to sleepovers, which she had been happy to do before, then she stopped wanting to go to parties and playdates at friends houses unless I came too. Well, I persuade her to go and play at friends houses when she is invited, good friends she has been to their houses before on the understanding that she can call at any time if she wants to come home. Now we are in the summer holidays she refuses point blank to go to any clubs, no interest in contacting friends unless I suggest we invite someone over.
She is always wanting to know where I am. If I go upstairs and she is playing or watching TV downstairs, after a few minutes she will call up or come up calling for me 'Mummy, where are you?'
Yesterday's events made me think this is becoming more than just a phase. I was in the garden with the baby so didn't hear her when she first called for me. I heard screaming like she or her brother had really badly hurt themselves - raced indoors to find her sobbing her heart out and her db trying to comfort her. She was in that state because she thought I had gone away and left her!
I just don't know if this is still 'just a phase' or should I be seeking some kind of psych help for her? Any tips to help me help her? I have never ever walked out and left her, always offer her reassurance that I'm there for her, spend time with her etc I know she has struggled to accept her new sister who is now 19 months so this may have a bearing, but I honestly do try to divide myself up equally between all three!
Going a bit bonkers now though, I get no decompression time with the holidays and also starting to dread how she's going to be when school starts in Sept and she HAS to be apart from me!
Sorry it's been so long. Everyone I talked to in RL says 'just a phase', but I'm starting to worry.