Anxiety And Kids: When To Worry About An Anxious Child

I agree, meds aren't the answer. I have GAD and OCD. It's hereditary and my almost 3 year old son has both too. It's why I'm a sahm, to manage stress better and have a chance to relax. As an adult my parents, after seeing how poorly I've handled major stress, have asked on two occassions for me to try meds. The first was when I developed depression in 2006. After 6 months I stopped and that was at a lot dose. The last was recently and I tried it again for a month (Citalopram) but didn't like it. I told my parent's I won't be taking it anymore since it won't "fix" me or turn me into the daughter they won't be embarressed by. The best thing we do for my son is not overschedule him. He's in preschool 3 mornings a week and takes a swim class a different morning but he has that other day off. As he gets older, extra curriculars will be limited so he has down time even as his homework load increases. This is where a half hour in front of the tv can be a good thing. That's also when he gets a lot of free play time. Here's my blog. http://homewithmommy-fran.blogspot.com/

We've been dealing with Social Anxiety Disorder for about seven years now (with our 10 year old daughter). Over the last four years my wife's been chronicling our journey at http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com … a site that’s become a resource for parents and families dealing with the same sorts of issues/struggles. She’s also written an illustrated children’s book on anxiety (officially released on May 7 2012 as part of Canada’s Mental Health Week). This book is a way for parents, children, teachers and anyone who is involved in the life of an anxious child so they can gain a better awareness and understanding of what anxiety looks and feels like. You can find out more info on the book at http://www.raisingsociallyanxiouschildrenblog.com/bookstore.