Hello!

Hi, my 6 yr old seems an anxious child, little things upset him and he get quite frustrated at times when he knows he has misbehaved….he mutters under his breath when I do tell him off….he will not have a go at things that might seem very hard.
He is quite a bright boy and seems fine. Is this normal or am I reading too much into his behaviour for a 6 yr old?


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  • Maybe don’t react too strong when you tell him off and praise him for what he does well ! Kids quite often like to avoid things they find hard, make sure to give him the feeling he may fail and always praise his attempts even when he fails.


  • I think you’re possibly reading too much into it. Seems to quite normal child like behaviour


  • keep gently encouraging him to try new things and have a go. still be really happy that he gives things a go, regardless of success rate. good luck


  • This behaviour is pretty normal I would continue to provide positive support. Adults do pretty similar things when put in unusual/difficult situations. He is smart, so can probably see more potential problems than others of same age – he might need time to step back and think things through the first time and built up to giving it a go later on. Encourage him to learn his own way – better than making learning a negative experience. He sounds quite normal to me, in fact quite a lot like mine at same age and mine is now fantastic at 8.


  • It makes me wonder if there is a problem at school. He may be struggling with some subjects. It may take changing teachers to find out about it as happened to friends of mine. The girl’s Mum asked her teacher and was told she was doing OK and gave her the impression she was worrying about nothing. 2nd week of the next year, they got a letter asking them to come to a meeting that their daughter had fallen behind considerably. shelso he could be suffering from anxiety and not be able to communicate effectively because of it. The girl’s parents were upset about it as they could have had her assessed the year before had they known instead of her falling so far behind.


  • Good on you mom56312 for getting help for your son! Pity about people being judgmental.


  • My oldest who is seven sees a pshycologist… He was having issues but we have found this has really helped him have someone out of the family that can be trusted to talk to… It has also helped us with ways to manage his behaviour. He is a happier more adjusted child and i have thieir guidence to thank for that… Although i dont tell all my friends whats going n as i have found if i do they tend to be judgemental.


  • Anxiety can impact on all ages and I would suggest talking with your GP about this as it is obviously worrying you. They can give your strategies for him to deal with his anxiety and it is always best to deal with anxiety early before it gets bigger.


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