What If
For a few months I would get a call from the school nurse at least once a week. Robert is very upset can you come pick him up? One time the fire station paramedics came because he had trouble breathing.
Me: What is going on?
Robert (sobbing): the “What if’s” are starting
Me: What are the What If’s?
Robert: What if the the ice caps melt? Where will the Polar Bears live, what will they eat, will they drown? What if Charlie (our dog) dies? What if they don’t find the little girl from the Amber Alert? What if Trump gets reelected... he doesn’t care about the Polar Bears?
We tried a lot of different ways to help him calm his worries ....
This was heart breaking to hear and to see a child with so many worries. Kid are supposed to be playing and eating candy. Apparently this
is happening to a lot of kids. There were so many that the school started a once a week session to help the kids manage their feelings and emotions called the “Worry Ninjas.” It helped so much. I think having a group and knowing that other kids were having these same feelings made him feel like he wasn’t such an outsider.
Especially right now everyone is having worries. If anyone has a child and they are constantly worrying let me know and I can email you the 5 lists that they practiced in their Worry Ninja group. Just send me an email: amygibsonart@me.com
*Worry Ninjas know how to calm down if they start to feel worried:
* They do 10 belly breaths
* They listen to music
* They take a walk
* They ask a friend to play
—Amy Gibson
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