Seperation Anxiety!

Written by Lisa on Friday 10 March 2006

Our oldest Daugher (in fact our only daughter) Ray has become quite the social butterfly since starting nursery school this year. She not only attends tap and ballet dancing but is often invited on ‘play dates’ to friends houses and also their birthday parties. I am dreading when we have to return the favour on her birthday…it will cost a small fortune!

I love to see her socialising, she is such a happy secure little madam and while she loves us dearly, she is happy to be apart from us as long as she knows she is coming home again.

Jay is a different matter. He is used to being with me and hubby all the time. He will happily stay in my mums or sisters, but has never been invited anywhere else.

So today when a friend (with a daughter close in age to Jay) invited him to her house for a few hours. I was nervous, I almost said no. I had this awful vision of him crying the whole time, or worse pulling an almighty sulk, as he often does when he doesn’t get his own way. In the end I agreed, I know that he needs the company, and in the end I was only down the street so if he needed me (or was driving my friend potty) I could be up there in 2 minutes to take him home.

I dropped Jay off at 12.20pm, and after dropping Ray to nursery I sat at home not quite knowing what to do with myself. Baby D fell asleep, so I was actually able to enjoy my lunch in peace. The guilt soon set in though so I tidied, washed and cleaned until it was time to go pick up the kids. The whole time I was carrying the cordless handset of our phone, waiting for the call to tell me that Jay had locked himself in the bathroom and was hysterically crying for me. It never came.

When I arrived, Jay was playing happily on the floor with his new friend. He had eaten his lunch (cleared the plate by all accounts!), played outside, painted pictures, built with Lego and never asked for me once.

I am thrilled. My wee boy can cope without me…the question is can I cope without him. If I got that nervous over a visit to a friends house, what will I be like when they all start school!