Seperation Anxiety at the Y

I follow many education pages on Facebook. One of my favorites is called Toddler Approved. Occasinally, they post reader questions. The question posted last night was:

My one year old is beginning to have bad separation anxiety. He is not in daycare and spends most time with just family (me, daddy, g-am, g-pa...) but we started taking him to 2 hour drop in daycare at our ymca and he doesn't make it more than 20 minutes before they have to come get us because he is so upset and won't calm down. 'They' say kids usually get used to it and are eventually ok, but it's been a few weeks, it doesn't seem to be getting better and we aren't sure what to do... Suggestions!?

Years ago I worked at KidStuff so I decided to comment. I said:

I used to work at the YMCA in KidStuff and it always got better. Sometimes it took kids months other times it only took days and for some it took weeks. Try to be consistent with your drop off time so he gets familiar with the staff in the room. My advice would be to try and build up to the full two hours. Start by dropping him off for 20 minutes and then over the course of a couple weeks or even a month or two build up to leaving him for the full two hours. I would also say maybe play with him in the room once you come back. We had a toddler who really disliked KidStuff but between short workouts and playtime with mom and the staff within a couple of months he was good to go and enjoyed coming to the Y. I would also suggest if possible to go in the morning or go when there are no classes going on that way your child has more one on one time. Good luck! It will get better! 

I have commented on reader questions multiple times and more than once my suggestions have gotten the most likes on the page. I think that's pretty cool considering I do not have any kids of my own just years of experience. :-) 

Jesus Calling Devotion

I wanted to share an excerpt from “Jesus Calling” from last week:

Bring me all your feelings, even the ones you wish you didn’t have.  Fear and anxiety still plague you.  Feelings per se are not sinful, but they can be temptations to sin.  Blazing missiles of fear fly at you day and night; these attacks from the evil one come at you relentlessly.  Use your shield of faith to extinguish those flaming arrows.  Affirm your trust in Me, regardless of how you feel.  If you persist, your feelings will eventually fall in line with your faith.

Do not hide from your fear or pretend it isn’t there.  Anxiety that you hide in the recesses of your heart will give birth to the fear of fear; a monstrous stepchild.  Bring your anxieties our into the Light of My Presence, where we can deal with them together.  Concentrate on trusting Me, and fearfulness will gradually lose its foothold within you.

“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” 1 John 1:5-7

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2