Oh poor little ds is really nervous about going back to school tomorrow and I hadn't realised <<bad mother alert>>

[edam]

He hadn't said a word all holidays but at bedtime confessed he is scared of going into Yr 1. Because he's losing half his friends (reception is being split into two classes) and he's got to deal with a new classroom, which at his school means a new door in a different part of the building, so a new route to school as far as he's concerned. Even the new cloakroom is worrying him.

He did visit the new classroom before the end of term, but after a six week gap now it's actually happening he is really scared. And kept saying 'it's OK if I don't go to school, isn't it, Mummy?'

It is a big jump, he's been in the foundation unit for five terms (nursery and reception). I just hadn't realised how scary it all was.

Bless him

I didn't realise until the morning of the start of yr2 how nervous ds1 was about moving up. He had butterflies and didn't know what they were.

But we chatted about it and I said it's completely normal to be apprehensive and everyone is a bit worried. He soon settled in and enjoyed it.

Does he start tomorrow?

my ds1 was v scared too - the very fact you are posting about this makes you far from a bad mother. I don't know if this could work for you, but I arranged for a neighbour to have my other children, and then walked him to school, which took quite a while and encouraged him to tell me all the things he was scared about and we either solved them (eg - I'm scared I don't know where the loo is) or I empathised with him and told him how I felt when I went to school and what helped me or how quickly it passed. Mind you - still cried like a fountain all the way home!

thanks for the support.

Yes, he does start tomorrow. I'm sure it will be fine, it will all come out in the wash etc. etc. etc.