The show "Returns to the New Season"News24 Weekend”, with journalist Megi Latifi, where this time the focus was on one of the most difficult moments for children and parents; the first day in kindergarten or school. Tears, anxiety and refusal to be separated from a parent are common reactions in children, especially when they are faced with a new environment for the first time. The specialists invited to the show explained how this period should be managed and what role parents have in the child's adaptation.

School psychologist Nereida Llaha explained that separation anxiety can occur in children who have not previously attended kindergarten and are starting kindergarten for the first time. According to her, the reaction is also related to the type of attachment the child has created with the caretaker figure, usually the person with whom they have spent most of their time.

"When the moment comes when you have to separate from this person who has your support, you suffer that feeling of abandonment," said Llaha.

Tears are part of adaptation.
Educator Floreta Milo emphasized that crying and looking for parents are completely normal reactions after separation from the family. The child is faced with a new environment and his emotions may be expressed through crying or a request to stay with his mother and father. According to her, educators do their best to calm the children, while each of them has their own pace of adaptation. Milo also advised parents to be careful with the promises they make to their children.

"If they tell him he'll come at this hour, he has to keep his promise," she said, underlining the importance of building trust between the child and the parent. Teacher Vera Zaho, who works with elementary and middle school students, suggested that parents talk to their children early about kindergarten and school as places where they can learn, have fun, and create new experiences. "Trust is not built overnight, it takes work," she said. Meanwhile, psychologist Llaha emphasized that the way a parent reacts to a child's crying is very important.

According to her, the fact that a child cries on the first day shows the bond that he has created with the parent and is not in itself worrying. The problem lies in the way this reaction is managed. She emphasized that parents should avoid standing behind the kindergarten or school door and showing anxiety themselves, as their emotions can affect the child. Adaptation can take time and, in some cases, even several weeks or months.

Another piece of advice from the psychologist was how parents should talk to their children about school. "When a child goes to school, they are not going to war," said Llaha, emphasizing that children should be told about the positive and fun side of this experience, and not be pressured into learning, being the first, or meeting the expectations of adults. According to specialists, the transition from kindergarten to school should be gradual and with as much support as possible from parents, so that the child experiences this change as a natural step and not as a painful separation from the family.