Send help. Anyone else got a fragile little one with the term four wobbles?

This week my kindergarten son’s news topic is ‘free choice’ – AKA his wonderful teacher is over this term too and doesn’t have the energy to assign a topic.

We all are.

The year is winding down. But as a result, some of our kids are not. Instead of winding down, they are melting down on us.

Term four wobbles

Babyology shared this meme the other day, and I couldn’t ‘love’ it in on Facebook quick enough.

This is SO MY son right now. He is almost through his first year of school and is desperate for a break.

He’s spent.

There have just been too many school days for him. His little brain is worn out. His body is worn down. He needs a break.

But he isn’t getting one, yet. And as such, he’s emotional. Explosive. Fragile.

It feels a bit like we are walking on eggshells with him at the moment.

For example, he melted down on me the other day for packing a little container of biscuits for his recess, instead of his usual muesli bar.

My little guy has a case of the ‘term four wobbles’, but it seems, so too do his buddies.

Not alone

When I mentioned how challenging his behaviour and emotions are of late to the other parents at school pick up, they were quick to reassure me we are not alone.

“Tell me about it!” sighed one.

“My toddler is holding it together better than my kindy kid,” said another.

“Oh, they are so fragile, right! I just want the year to be over for her,” quipped another mum.

5 ways to survive

The term four wobbles are a thing and not just unique to my little guy, so I’ve been thinking about how better to support him. I think there are five things I can do:

1) Make sure he’s getting plenty of sleep because right now he might need more of this. This means I need to be on top of bedtimes. Not in a grouchy, “get to bed” kind of way, but more in a “time for books in bed” let’s stick to the routine way. So bedtime is consistent and sleep recharging.

2) Cut him some slack. I am not going to get hung up about readers and sight words this late in the school year. We’ll do them if he’ll co-operate, but I am not going to lose any sleep if he doesn’t. He’s run out of steam.

3) Stress less. I know my stress has a flow-on effect on my family. I am going to try and be more mindful of this, even as the Christmas stress storm encroaches.

4) Give more. More cuddles, more of my time, more connection, more of ‘us’. He is needier and still so little, and so I need to respond in kind. Be a mum, not a warden.

5) Less sugar. I know my little guy feels more steady when he doesn’t experience the highs and crashing lows from sugar. I’m not saying no sugar, but just less. I know he is better when I limit it.

Wish me luck, and be sure to fist bump a fellow parent of a term four wobbly little one. The struggle is real.