Supporting your shy little one
Posted: June 19, 2020
Does your child often cling to the back of your legs while entering new places, afraid to let go and have you leave? When you drop them off at a new activity or party, are they alone in the corner, unsure of how to go talk to new friends?
Navigating this can be such a heartbreaking experience because it’s your parental instinct to just hold onto them so they don’t have to be filled with anxiety. It may feel easier to avoid the experiences that you know might be hard, just so they don’t have to go through the ache of saying goodbye.
Instead of avoiding those tough experiences it can be really helpful to:
- Give you child the support they need before entering new experiences
- Ask them what they are feeling and where they feel it in their bodies (swirls in the tummy, racing heart, shaky hands?)
- Provide them a preview of what will happen and when goodbye will take place
- Allow them the experience to form connections with others, even if that means you have to do a warm hand off with another trusted adult
*Please note that this blog post and the information in it is not a substitute for therapy.