Stress= School

Apparently a new survey shows that children starting school are getting stressed about it up to six months before they start. Stressed? Really? Is a four year old capable of carrying the worries and anxieties that we relate to the word stressed- that thing that makes us ill when we don't sort it out. I'd say it was accurate to say some of them are anxious- and why wouldn't they be, they've been told by their parents it's soon their turn to go to 'the big school'. I was the most anxious child you've ever met. I didn't speak throughout the whole of preschool and infants- that's four years, too scared to walk confidently into school or answer the register. But I wouldn't say I was particularly stressed- not before starting anyway. I think children can build up a fear or hatred towards it once they've attended if they dislike it but for so many to be 'stressed' 6 months before they start I'm not really convinced. Now if you want to stress kids out before school you should spend three hours the morning that they're starting taking photos of them. As you can see in this picture Simon looks less than impressed at starting his final year at St Peter's and it's probably because he's been stood there for ages while dad gets it just right- now that's stress! And also- if they think the kids are stressed, they should look at the teachers!!