Confident 5 yo suddenly becoming clingy

[misty]

I hope someone out there can give me some advice - I am desperate! My 5 yo ds has always been ultra confident - always dived into any situation without so much as a backward glance, never shy and certainly didn't want mum or dad hanging around. However over the last couple of months he has slowly changed to a little boy who won't play in the (secure) back garden by himself, keeps asking 'are you ok mum?' if I am upstairs and he is downstairs by himself, has started to get upset just as he is about to go into school and says 'I will miss you', got upset for the first time when went to his usual swimming lesson last week (because I wasn't staying to watch; never used to be an issue), absolutely won't sit in the car at the front of the house while I am packing up the car (gets hysterical if he is strapped in and I dissappear into the house to get something) and a few other general things.
We've done all the usual things, such as try and find out if something/someone has upset him at school or if he has watched something on t.v. which has frightened him, but to no avail. He seems to be getting worse, and we don't know what to do!

I wonder if this happens when children get older and their imaginations run away with them. I have had a similar experience recently with my 6 year old dd. I think as their brains develop they begin to realise more than before and think "what if". I know from studying child development many years ago that children's brains develop so that by the age of 7 they have attained formal thinking, the ability to conceptualise. So it's probably that your ds is brainy!

The same happened for a short time with my ds. As you described he too was very happy and sociable and was never clingy. About 2 weeks after starting school he changed completely and wouldn't leave my side when I took him to school in the mornings and getting very upset if I even took one step away from him. During the first 2 weeks he'd run off to play as soon as we arrived at the school gates and I wouldn't see him until the bell went. At home too he'd get upset if he discovered that he was the only person left downstairs. This phase is over now and he appears to be back to his normal self. I think he is more aware now of people dying, of children who may not have two parents at home and at times I think this plays on their minds and makes them a bit more clingy. Hope too that yours is a short lived phase.

Thanks CAM and Wendy1 for your thoughts - have just seen the health visitor who assures me this is quite common, but usually after an 'incident' or watching something on t.v. which I can't pinpoint after chatting to him - but what child gives you the answer straight away? She has suggested pre-empting situations, so rather than wait for him to ask me where I am in the house, it might be a good idea to get in there first. Also suggested to avoid situations where he might feel insecure, and to have a 'star chart' to reward him for being a brave boyin everyday situations. If things don't improve they can refer us to a specialist but fingers crossed it won't come to this...