The transition day struggle is REAL

Dec 51 min read

Monday and Friday mornings are absolute chaos at my house. The kids get SO moody the day before they leave or the day after they arrive. My 8yo actually throws up sometimes because he gets anxious. My ex says it doesn't happen at her place. I've tried everything - extra cuddle time the night before, letting him sleep in, talking through it. Nothing works. Anyone else deal with transition day meltdowns? What actually helped?

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Comments(9)

NNolan J.RegularDec 5

The throwing up thing is really rough. Have you talked to his pediatrician about the anxiety? There might be some actual tools to help with the transition stress beyond just managing the day

CChuck M.RegularDec 6

The moodiness I totally get - my kids are CRANKY the day before switch days. It's like they can sense it coming. But the vomiting from anxiety is worth bringing up with your co-parent and a therapist. That's his body telling you something's wrong

SScott W.RegularDec 6

That throwing up thing is concerning though. That's more than just being moody - sounds like actual anxiety. Have you talked to their pediatrician about transition day anxiety? There might be actual strategies to help rather than just powering through

RRuben A.New DadDec 7

Monday mornings at my house are the WORST. Everyone's tired from switching and the routine is off and nobody wants to be anywhere. I feel you on the chaos. The moody part is age-appropriate, but if he's actually getting sick you should def address that

TTony V.RegularDec 6

How long have the transitions been happening? My guess is the anxiety gets better as kids get older and understand the routine isn't permanent, but the throwing up thing shouldn't just be normalized. That's a stress response

RReggie K.New DadDec 7

Maybe a consistent ritual on those days? Like special breakfast or a specific activity that's only for transition mornings? Not solving the anxiety but might make the mornings less chaotic

DDanny R.RegularDec 8

This is so real. My 7yo gets weirdly clingy the day before mom pickup and kinda standoffish when she drops him off. It's like he's bracing for it emotionally

SSawyer N.RegularDec 7

I feel this hard. The physical anxiety reaction (throwing up) tells me this is real stress, not just moodiness. Have you and the other parent coordinated on what the pickup/drop routine looks like to make it more predictable?

TTony G.RegularDec 8

Honestly the mood swings make sense - they're going through a micro-loss twice a week. Not saying you can fix it but naming it as "that's the transition mood" instead of bad behavior helped us address it differently