Anyone else get weird anxiety the moment their kids walk into the classroom? I know it's irrational but my chest gets tight and I start catastrophizing about everything that could go wrong. My wife says I need to talk to someone about it but I keep putting it off. It gets better throughout the day but mornings are rough.
I totally get it man. When my daughter started kindergarten I was a wreck for weeks. What helped me was texting my ex updates throughout the day, just to have someone to check in with. The catastrophizing is real but it does ease up once you get into a routine.
You're not alone in this. I had the same thing with my oldest when she first went to school. I started planning a new recipe the night before drop-off just to have something to focus on during the day. Keeping your hands busy actually helps with the anxiety more than you'd think.
That tight chest feeling is tough. My daughter and I started this little ritual where we have tea before school and talk about what we're each doing that day. Knowing I have that grounding moment with her actually calmed my anxiety down quite a bit.
I had this bad a couple years ago. Turned out talking to someone about it really helped. It's not about the kids being unsafe, it's about losing control of the situation. That's the real trigger.
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You're not irrational at all. That moment when they go through the door hits different. I get it every time my kid starts at a new school year. You're not alone in this.
That's not irrational, that's being a parent. The worry doesn't stop when they walk through that door. Do you find it gets easier as the year goes on or is it constant?