Help! Has this happened to anyone else?

[Olivia1987]

Sorry if this isn’t the correct place to put this.

My son has just started reception at school.

It’s been such a difficult time for him. It’s really effecting him.

He hates it. Does not want to go. At all!! He wakes up at night crying not wanting to go. He has started wetting himself again and I think that’s to do with all the change. He just seems so unhappy.

I have tried everything to encourage him. I hate seeing him so upset being forced by the teacher to walk into school.

he previously went to nursery and he loved it. No problems getting him in the morning, he wouldn’t even say bye to me just went on in. None of his friends from nursery have gone to his school. He feels very alone and misses his friends.

I’m just after any kind of advice to help me help him. I talk to him, I try and ask him
whats going on. He’s too young to understand how he’s feeling or at least putting it into words. He’s become very clingy with me and my partner. He doesn’t want to see his dad because of all of this as well. He just wants to stay with me all the time. I’m tired. I work full time and I’m stressed and worried about him.

I know most of this is “normal” but when it’s your child it’s so hard to see.

Please help a desperate mum.

You poor thing, I remember this feeling. It's a huge change for him, is hugely tiring and most likely it will settle down in time, although I know that doesn't help when you 're going through it. I'd definitely talk to his teacher so they know how much he is struggling - they can keep an extra eye on him at school and might have some suggestions.

Lots of cuddles and giving him the opportunity to talk - it might be there is something specific at school that has upset him and he can't quite find the words yet.Weekend meetups at the park with some new school mates might help him make friends and feel more settled?

Is he a younger 5? Is it possible to defer him going until January or have him do half days for a while? I know you said you work full time but are there any other options?

If not then doing a worry jar where he can write his worries down, put them in and you can dip one out and deal with one every night before bed, might help. A friendly note in his lunch from you? And definitely chat with his teacher once you've got some information out of him.

Can you move him to the school that his friends have gone to? Is there a reason he was sent to a different school?

He is just going to the local school in the catchment area. I went there when I was little. It’s a nice school just such a big change from nursery.

I think a lot of children from his nursery have gone to schools in their own catchment area and some of them lived out of town so have gone to village schools.

@ReadtheReviews he’s a younger one his birthday is in July. He’s only just turned 4. I would love to be able to do that but I work and especially now I need to work to keep up with bills. I don’t have anyone else who can look after him. Who doesn’t work.

I don’t know if he’d be able to voice or write his worries down. I do ask every night. I ask why he’s so upset and he just gets more upset because I don’t think he can tell
me. He just feels bad.

@Olivia1987 can I ask how your son's getting on? Has he settled?

@Olivia1987 : you can take your son back to the nursery and delay the school start until he is 5. There is a facebook group "Flexible School Admissions for Summer Borns" where you can find a lot of help and support.

As it’s past October 6th there would be no nursery funding meaning the mum would have to cover the bill for nursery without any free hours