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Childhood fear is as natural as any stage in a child’s life. Of course, there are healthy fears of the unknown, but there are also fears that we must give greater attention to, such as those that we can only resolve with the help of a specialist, such as trauma .
We always see children afraid of domestic animals , small insects and even of the much-feared dark and when treated naturally, these fears disappear with time. With patience, the parents are able to show the child that the little animal is not as bad as it looks, that the terrifying insect simply does nothing and the dark is nothing more than the environment without light.
There are natural fears of childhood
What we cannot do is simply ignore the fear and much less make fun of them when they show this reaction, because all they need is the safety of their parents, by showing, talking and teaching that that particular situation does not offer such a danger. Try giving examples of situations, such as if a child is afraid of ants, say “an ant eats leaves and does not bite people, after all it has no teeth”. In addition to teaching your child the real situations will end up having fun with the discovery of things.
When dealing with a child with fear, we have to be careful that instead of fear being overcome, it becomes even greater due to the overprotection of the parents, who instead of dealing with the situation head on and try to solve it in a calm way, end up isolating the child or to avoid crying and wear and tear simply deprive the child of living in certain environments . Often, overprotected parents are the ones who had the same traumas in childhood and as they were not treated correctly, they end up making the same mistake with their children.
What should we avoid?
- Avoid telling stories of witches, werewolves and any terrifying characters. Keep the little one away from horror movies, especially at night.
- Do not force a child with fear to face the situation with care, without care. This will make the fear increase more and more
- Avoid passing on your fears and traumas to your children, after all you are the example for them. If the father or mother shows fear of a gecko, for example, how can you tell your child that it will not do any harm?
- Do not find the fears funny and do not laugh at the situations, this will make the child even more insecure and suffer in silence.
If your child’s fears are hindering his development and interfering with normal activities as a child , seek out a doctor who can help you. Some children suffer from phobia or anxiety and must be accompanied by a specialist.
See also: Sleep Disorders in Children from 5 to 12 years old
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
