Anxious Child

As a baby, Anxious Child was hard to soothe, always cried, and never wanted to be put down. As a toddler, his tantrums were frequent and intense, sometimes lasting for hours.

Toilet training was a nightmare. Anxious Child wanted to go poop in his pull-up even when he used the potty to go pee. He knew when he had to go and asked to be changed immediately after he did. His parents were worried about what would happen when he went to preschool.

Today Anxious Child never wants his parents out of his sight. He even sleeps with his parents and refuses to stay in his own bed. His parents wish they could just get some sleep and maybe he’d be easier for them to handle.

His parents can’t make any noises that upset Anxious Child. He hates the sound of the toilet flushing, the shower running, and the vacuum. He constantly puts his hands over his ears and tells his parents they talk too loudly.

In early childhood, Anxious Child preferred to watch others play, observing from behind his mother’s skirt. He continues to be slow to warm up with new people and in new environments. Anxious Child prefers the familiar. If he can be talked into trying something new, he gives up at the first hint of something being a challenge. Anxious Child always needs to feel immediately successful or forget it.

Language isn’t a problem for Anxious Child, who can usually ask for what he needs. He prefers cognitive and imaginative play more than physical play. Now that he is school age, he tries to make friends, but he can be very controlling during play and friends don’t stick around for long.

Anxious Child does well academically but gets frustrated when corrected by a parent or teacher. If he can’t solve a new math problem quickly, he has a hard time controlling his emotions, especially at home with parents.

Sometimes Anxious Child toe walks. His parents wonder why he does that and they wish he would stop. His pediatrician sent him to a pediatric orthopedist to see if his heel cords were tight. If he doesn’t stop toe walking, Anxious Child may need to have surgery to lengthen his heel cords.