Dd has always been a somewhat high-strung kid, but she's also very strong and determined when she needs to be. This is a kid who, in kindergarten, we moved across the globe and put her in local schools where no one spoke English. It was tough, but she learned the local language. Who took kung fu and cried every day for the first 3 sessions because it was hard, but stuck it out and succeeded, winning the respect of the older students.
This is also a kid who can be somewhat of a drama queen around mommy
. She can be bleeding from the lip after a collision in hockey and not bat an eyelash, but is likely to completely fall apart when she stubs her toe at home. I know that I am her "safe place" where she just dumps all of her emotions and I'm fine with that, but I also know that she sometimes needs to be pushed to practice mature behaviors. I want to guide her, not enable her.
Anyway, she stayed home from school yesterday because she was sick. This morning she felt physically well, but really stressed about the work she missed the previous day at school. Crying and out of control about it. Said she just feels really scared and she's not sure why. She's felt like this before regarding schoolwork, especially this year because there is more homework in 5th grade. But the feelings have always gone away once she gets to school because she is an excellent student, the teacher loves her and truly there is nothing to be scared about. But this morning, as she was doing her entry tasks at school, she said she felt suddenly as though she was hit with an electric shock - flushed, hot, shaking hands, the works. She couldn't write with her hands shaking, so she told the teacher and I brought her home.
So I guess she had a panic attack? I've never had them so have no idea how to deal with it. Obviously relaxation techniques would be useful and we have talked about them, but she says when she tries doing them she feels fake and it doesn't work. Do I push her, as I have had to do in other areas, to work on relaxation? Do it with her for example? But will it be relaxing if it is forced? I offer hugs of course, but it's not enough, she needs to learn how to deal with her feelings. If she is feeling stressed in 5th grade, how is she going to feel in 11th grade?
I'm looking for stories and advice, anything that can help me help my daughter. Thanks!
This is also a kid who can be somewhat of a drama queen around mommy
. She can be bleeding from the lip after a collision in hockey and not bat an eyelash, but is likely to completely fall apart when she stubs her toe at home. I know that I am her "safe place" where she just dumps all of her emotions and I'm fine with that, but I also know that she sometimes needs to be pushed to practice mature behaviors. I want to guide her, not enable her.Anyway, she stayed home from school yesterday because she was sick. This morning she felt physically well, but really stressed about the work she missed the previous day at school. Crying and out of control about it. Said she just feels really scared and she's not sure why. She's felt like this before regarding schoolwork, especially this year because there is more homework in 5th grade. But the feelings have always gone away once she gets to school because she is an excellent student, the teacher loves her and truly there is nothing to be scared about. But this morning, as she was doing her entry tasks at school, she said she felt suddenly as though she was hit with an electric shock - flushed, hot, shaking hands, the works. She couldn't write with her hands shaking, so she told the teacher and I brought her home.
So I guess she had a panic attack? I've never had them so have no idea how to deal with it. Obviously relaxation techniques would be useful and we have talked about them, but she says when she tries doing them she feels fake and it doesn't work. Do I push her, as I have had to do in other areas, to work on relaxation? Do it with her for example? But will it be relaxing if it is forced? I offer hugs of course, but it's not enough, she needs to learn how to deal with her feelings. If she is feeling stressed in 5th grade, how is she going to feel in 11th grade?
I'm looking for stories and advice, anything that can help me help my daughter. Thanks!
