Daughter making up worries for school worry box

[KimGa]

My daughter is in six and in yr 2. Her class teacher has created a worry box for the children to write any worries down and post in. The idea is she will read them and then find ways to try and help the children to feel less worried.

My daughter loves talking about feelings and so thinks this is the best thing ever. However, she’s making up worries she doesn’t actually have in order to make use of the special box. For example, she has never once mentioned being afraid of the dark at home, goes to sleep every night no problem, but I think they may have used this one as an example in class which gave her the idea.

Now the teacher has bought her a special book on this topic which she has come home with and a workbook to accompany it so we can work through it together to help her get over her fear of the dark!

It’s very sweet of the teacher but I feel like I should mention that my daughter is just doing this because she likes the concept/special attention. However, I also don’t want to appear like I don’t listen to my own child’s worries!

I have spoken to my daughter about not doing it in future unless it’s a real genuine worry but she says it’s fine the teacher is encouraging them to use it as much as they feel they want to.

My friends DC told their teacher that she was scared of spiders. She absolutely isn't and is the one at home who gladly catches them and puts them outside!

I think (I hope!) that's pretty normal for that age OP. I've just spent god knows how long trying to get my actually scared of the dark DD (almost 6) asleep. In absolute desperation to find an irrefutable reason as to why she has to sleep in my bed, not her own, she announced she is afraid of.....

Getting an email from a stranger.

Got to give her points for trying, I suppose

I probably would mention it to the teacher though, on the basis that they may have paid for that book themselves, and there might be a child with an actual fear of the dark that's next in line for it.

I tjibk sometimes they just like to feel that they are fitting in. So if a friend put a worry in the box, they feel like they should have one too. Im sure the teacher has seen it before. Id approach the teacher saying that you were surprised that she said she was scared of the dark because this isnt soemthjng youve observed at home. Just ask the teacher whether they sometimes see kids putting worries in just for somethjnt to do, as it were.

I think you should tell the teacher that you are concerned, and explain your DD is not afraid of the dark. You could ask the teacher to dial it down a little bit.

The one about the email - that is often discussed in schools and kids' programmes so probably they have heard about it as a 'bad thing'. A lot of kids are not scared of the dark per se, but are scared of how they feel in the night time, it is when they feel most worried.

My mother thought I wasn't afraid of the dark. I was. I was also afraid to tell her. I just thought I would mention that. Maybe she's not making it up?