Help! I've traumatised one of my children!

[Guest]

A couple of weeks ago we were told we all had to celebrate national space day! I linked this to our topic of autumn by telling the children an alien had visited our school and wanted to know why leaves were falling off the trees and changing colour etc! I made him friendly....or so I thought!

 

Now I have a parent who tells me her daughter keeps having nightmares because of the alien!! We have had discussions in class and she is fine in school but is still having nightmares at home!

 

I feel terrible - what can I do?

[Upsy Daisy]

I had a similar problem when my daughter's school brought a dalek (very realistic because it was a prop from the show) into school for a creative writing activity. She is still anxious and angry four years later even though she knows it wasn't real.

I think you need to sit down one to one with the child and explain cleary that the alien wasn't real and why you made it up. If she understands the reasons behind the activity she may be able to put it behind her in a way that she can't while it isn't making logical sense.

[sunnyday]

Oh no - I feel for you as much as I feel for the child.......isn't it awful when our best intentions 'back fire'........

I agree with Upsy - but think I might ask the parent to sit in on this discussion too......

Good luck! :1b

[Inge]

Did you do anything else incorporating aliens that could have added other aspects of them to her imagination. What happened once it had learnt all it needed to know.. did it depart/ leave happy? Could it be a story that did not end or resolve in a way that made her aware it was a story... Some children can have such imaginations that it takes them in a direction that was unexpected.. it can he hard to separate real and imaginary for some children.

Think Upsy has made a good suggestion to start with... include parent with what is happening so they can maybe continue with same at home as it seems to be happening there..

[Guest]

Thanks for your help! The alien left us a note to ask for autumn information and left an address (Mars) to send the information to! So they were all aware that he wouldn't be coming back but it has just stuck with this little one! I know sunny day, the best intentions backfire sometimes!

 

I will get mum in to class and have a proper discussion rather than over the fence at home time! Fingers crossed it can be resolved!

[thumperrabbit]

My son had a fear of death for a long time when he was in reception class, we were really baffled about where it had come from until we realised that they had been talking about Remembrance Day in class and they told them about lots of children losing their daddies, it really upset him!

[Berryred]

oh bless them

 

On a lighter note I remember asking one of my children if they had ants in their pants one days because they were so wriggly! the little face made me laugh out (which I know was wrong of me but it was very funny! I have since learnt never say saying as children will think you are talking the truth !!)

[louby loo]

Again on a lighter note, I think I have traumatised 26 children and 4 members of staff today

 

We have a serial 'biter' and I saw him about to find a victim - and I shouted 'stop'........ well in over five years at the setting no-one and I mean no-one has ever heard me shout before .........total silence followed. :blink: :blink: :blink:

Everyone spent the rest of the day giving me scared/worried looks (staff included), as for the biter - well he just kept following me around, sat next to me for snack and did everything that I asked him to do...very quickly and without the normal backchat!

[Guest]

An alien once kidnapped our class rabbit...we had a great day looking for it and following clues.... my children went home in the knowledge that she was found and safe... what i didn't realise was that the news spread around the school and a child in a different class couldn't sleep that night worrying about her.... how bad did I feel.

 

Get the Mum and child into school and explain ..... but then perhaps get them in on the next exciting thing that is happening so they can see how the ideas are hatched and they are in a powerful position of knowing and nobody else does...might help shift the focus away.

[Jo A]

I dressed up as Pudsey last year. One girl was so upset they had to told her it was me inside and for weeks after she came up to me and said "You were Pudsey".