Separation anxiety

Cayen had been going to preschool since he's 18 months . For all the occasional issues that have cropped up along the way, crying when being dropped off (separation anxiety) was never one of them when I dropped him off personally. 

The only times he cried was when Ah Po carried him through the entrance (2-3 years old) and into the classroom. Then, he would make a fuss and refused to be let go.

When I dropped him off, I would only carry till the entrance (when he's older, he would walk himself all the way) where he still needs to perform the usual routine of temperature checking and stuff before entering the classroom. Using this approach, he would not whine or cry when going to school. 

However, in the last one month, I started to sense his reluctance to let me go cox I unintentionally started a new routine of hugging him just before he enters the classroom. Because of that, he would usually ask for more hugs , and sometimes teacher needs to help to gently tear him away. 

Hence, my learning is that any contact before separation makes separation really hard. So now, I try to hug a bit earlier in the routine instead of just before he enters the classroom.