BATON ROUGE — Experts say it's normal for kids to not want to leave for school from time to time. However, when it becomes a pattern, there may be an underlying issue.

"Maybe it's that they're not fitting in at school, they're experiencing bullying or just nervous about socializing, it may be a sign of a mental health concern like anxiety or depression," Pediatric psychologist Ariana Hoet said. "It may also be that they have a learning disability that hasn't been diagnosed yet."

Warning signs of emotional distress in kids include:
- Behavior changes
- Tantrums
- Irritability
- Anger
- Stomach aches
- Headaches
- Nausea

Experts say emotional distress could be a mental health concern, like anxiety.

"As parents, we want to often shield our kids from those difficult emotions," Hoet said. "What happens, though, is if we let a child avoid, stay home from school, it actually makes the anxiety grow."

Hoet encourages parents to sit down with their child, validate their feelings and show understanding in order to get to the root of the problem. Then, she said, work together to solve it.

"If a child is feeling nervous about, let's say, socializing with others, then we practice those social skills at home," she said. "We practice them out in different environments so that when they do them at school, they feel more confident."