Worried about my grandson

Perhaps I have got a bit stuck in that stage too, I can't bear books or films with any form of violence in them, am I the only one?

Checkout Phillipa Perry's new book on parenting, she has some good suggestions and talks so much sense

Does he use the internet and are his parents aware of exactly what he is looking at online? Is he watching the news on tv - much of it is so worrying at the moment and they may be taking in more than you realise.
Bullying doesn't just happen at secondary school - primary school children can be very unkind too, especially if they sense that someone is rather sensitive.

The school should be more aware of anything that may be happening - just suggesting different reading matter is not good enough.
in an intervention group, as I run in my school.
The DGC's primary school is quite pro-active too and something like that sounds like a positive way forward SisterAct

It is such a challenging on this - the reality is that some of their fears are so real. Yes - a parent could die - yes, a car could crash - yes there are terrorists in the world etc. etc. The challenge is to acknowledge these realities whilst also trying to get them in proportion.

When something bad happened and it was on the TV my DGS got quite anxious about it - I remember having the conversation with him that it is on the news because it is rare; and that they would not put it on the news that he had had weetabix for breakfast this morning! It made him laugh and I hope helped him to get some perspective on it.

As a teacher I have dealt with this several times. As has been said he will gradually learn how to cope with this. I would ask if he shows this behaviour in school ? Sharing stories about your own experiences may help. Reading carefully chosen stories to him and his brother is a lovely way of making him feel secure. If it continues and you are still worried contact the school again who can involve the school nurse, or behaviour support. It could be addressed in circle time or in an intervention group, as I run in my school. Children’s well-being is high on the agenda in schools so give it time but ask for more help if you need to. Take care ?

Luckygirl - what a lovely thing to say "It is OK to feel what you feel" - and how kind of his friend, I will remember this phrase.

One of my GSs went through something similar at the same age. He actually went to counselling - there happened to be a good one nearby. He too is a brainy boy and they sometimes know and understand more than their experience can deal with. He got over it gradually. We all talked openly about it and tried to make him feel it was OK to feel this.

One friend actually sent him a note which said "It is OK to feel what you feel." I thought that was delightful from a boy of that age.

My older boy used to hide behind the chair when Dr Who came on. He would cry for everything. If I raised my voice he would cry. Much to my utter regret and shame, I once said "don't be a sissy " or something to that effect. He is now a strong minded young man and father of 2 little darling girls. I wouldn't worry too much...your grandson is just going through a phase, as they say ?

He sounds a lovely boy who is just a tad anxious at present. It’s quite common at this age. I agree with others who say it’s a phase. Love, support and reassurance and I’m sure it’ll pass. All best wishes. x

Thank you both so much for your speedy replies. I feel better already.

It's intelligent to be anxious. He's growing up and seeing that the world isn't the fluffy lovely one of his early childhood. However, don't minimise it. It's very real to him. Poor boy.
My DGS is a mixture of bravado and intense fears of what seem like daft things! We acknowledge the fears and move on. He usually does too but we keep a wary eye on him. Worrying - It's a Gran thing!

This is more ‘normal’ than you would believe. Anxiety happens a lot around this age. He should grow out of it. Tell him about how you get anxious about things to ‘normalise’ it. Then tell him how you cope with it when you’re anxious. Teach him about life. What a lovely granny. ❤️

He sounds lovely, I wouldn’t worry too much about this. He may well change when he gets older OR he may only enjoy just reading up on factual pratical material.
Some children don’t like stories at all .
If he likes facts there are lots of suitable books for children, he will enjoy them as much as another person enjoys fiction. best wishes