Back-to-School Blues ... For Parents!

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LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29, 1997-- Just the thought of the first day of the new school year has a lot of first-time students terrified. But they're not the only ones.

According to pediatrician Barbara Korsch, M.D., at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, studies indicate that the first day of school can be almost as stressful and emotionally upsetting for parents who are sending their kids off to school for the first time.

"Parents often suffer from anxiety and a sense of loss," Dr. Korsch said. "It is especially difficult for those who are used to having their child at home with them most of the time and have had little need for previous separation."

Dr. Korsch says it is natural for a parent to be sad, but children have enough anxiety of their own on the first day of school, so parents should do their best to be reassuring and not express anxiety in front of the children. Among her suggestions are:

1. Trust your child to be all right on his/her own.
2. Remember that you have taught your children to cope on their own and that you can safely assume they will be fine.
3. Be proud that your child can be independent of you.
4. Review your own childhood. Remind yourself how you survived and trust that you have raised your child well.
5. Remember, there will be competent adults and kids to help your child cope.

"The first day of school exposes parents to the reality that children will be separated, and develop their own autonomy and individuality," Dr. Korsch said. "The reality is that it's healthy for a child to learn to be independent."

Dr. Korsch says that parents have biological needs, as well as emotional ones to take care of kids. "We are the most protective species on earth when it comes to the guidance and care of children. Parents' concerns as to how a child will act or react on his own can be very upsetting."

While parents tend to be possessive and afraid to let their children go where they are not able to assist or protect them, nonetheless Dr. Korsch reminds us that separation is desirable and necessary.

"If parents give their children the impression that separation is bad, it will cause them undue anxiety," she said. "They may even worry they're causing their parents pain, and that might affect them adversely."

Founded in 1901, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is a global resource for advanced pediatric care, research and medical education. Each year, the nonprofit 318-bed hospital treats more than 200,000 patients from newborn to 18 years of age with specialized, multidisciplinary care in pediatric and adolescent medicine. CHLA also houses an internationally recognized research program and trains pediatric specialists through its affiliation, since 1932, with the University of Southern California School of Medicine.

For eight consecutive years -- 1990 to 1997 -- "U.S. News & World Report" magazine has named Childrens Hospital Los Angeles one of the top five pediatric facilities in the country, and the best in the West.

CONTACT: Steve Rutledge, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, 213-669-412l