Sad DS

[MarmMummy]

Can anyone help? This week my DS, aged very nearly 2 and a half has asked me to make sad faces on his playdo bugs, draw sad faces in the bath, keeps saying he has 'lost' mummy or daddy when we pop into another room and last night was up for 2 hours crying because he was sad that he'd lost us.

Do they get separation anxiety at this age? Is it a phase? He generally seems happy this week, apart from these 'sad' moments. I said to him this morning shall we have a happy day and he said no, a sad one.

What should I do? Have tried to have a fun and busy morning and think maybe its best to avoid any discussion of happy/sad. Can't bear to think he is unhappy like this.

he may just be interested in different emotions and faces.
there's a baby book with black and white pictures of babies doing stuff. mine have always been much more interested in the picture of the baby crying than in any of the others.

at nursery they get the children to practice doing sad/happy/angry/tired faces etc so that they can learn to read other peoples faces. maybe he's just interested.

Yes, that crossed my mind too.

I think there is something about being 'lost' though, as he's mentioned this a few times this afternoon.

Any other thoughts/ideas on how to handle this? [desperate!]

Has he ever been "lost"?
Has someone he knows been lost? At nursery perhaps?
Has he seen a DVD/TV Programme where someone was lost? A book?
Or, he could have dreamt something?

heartbreaking! I know they say that 2ish is when they often start having nightmares so maybe he has had some dreams about getting lost? I remember at about this age my ds went through a phase of waking up screaming that the big black cat was getting him. He was terrified of cats for months. I'm sure it will pass, I know it is upsetting but plenty of reassurance and cuddles will help, I'm sure.

Thanks so much everyone.

He did get stuck investigating the top of some spiral stairs at a friends last week, in the dark .... whilst his mother gossiped downstairs and am now wondering if this is where it stems from.

Have decided to be upbeat and reassuring, rather than get my knickers in a twist about having a depressed toddler - which I think was where I was going yesterday.

I think it must be a phase, a recognition of feelings, emotions, facial expressions...is he at nursery?

DD 2.4 has recently started talking about being 'upset', or 'crying'. Her dolls are often 'upset' or are 'crying' and she comforts them, and she also wakes sometimes because she is 'upset', although, in reality she is perfectly fine.