Think back to the time you were child’s age. Did you hate the dark? Were you ever afraid of monsters, bogeymen, or bears under your bed? Did the noise of the furnace heating up sound like someone creeping down the hall? Admit to your children that you had such fears when you were young. It helps kids to know that their fears are not abnormal and that they can talk about them with parents. This dialogue opens the door to exploring ways children can cope with fears.
1. If what your child fears is a real possibility, take steps to prevent it from becoming a reality. For example, if your child is afraid of losing the house key, help him find ways to take good care of it or relieve his fears by leaving a spare key with a neighbor or in a safe hiding place at home.
2. If what your youngster fears is not real possibility, such as sharks in the bathtub, just talking about this fear in an understanding way will usually show how unreal it is. Be sure not to laugh at your child’s fears, because even a shark in the tub may seem very real to a child.
3. Often just knowing how to handle a scary situation defuses fear. If your children know where a working flashlight is, their fear of a blackout is lessened. If they worry about being injured, knowledge of first aid will give them greater confidence.
4. Make sure that your youngsters don’t fuel their imaginations by watching spooky television shows or reading horror stories.
5. Having a friend over or even visiting on the phone is helpful when children are afraid. It’s amazing how fears can vanish when two children are busy playing or chatting.
6. Keeping busy also helps fearful youngster cope with being alone. Kids who are involved with hobbies, projects, homework’s, or even chores will experience less fear.
7. Pets in the house are a great source of comfort and security to children. Many police departments recommend a dog for a security safeguards, but even locked will make youngsters feel safer and more secure at home alone.
8. Conducting a regular security check of doors and windows to make sure they are locked will make youngster feel safer and more secure at home alone.
9. If house noises scare your child, a radio tuned to a quite music station will help cover these sounds. I hesitate to suggest turning on the TV, because it easily becomes an all-consuming activity.
10. Many children find praying relieves their fear. They find comfort in talking to a supreme being they regard as a shelter and protection for big and small alike.
Sometimes during their childhood, most children will hide from things they fear. If your child hides regularly, talk with her about it in a matter-of-fact, noncondemning way. Kids feel badly enough about this sort of behavior without parents belittling them and eroding their self-confidence even further. Work on the listed suggestions for coping with fears and let your child know your support her efforts to overcome fear. A few lapses may occur now and then, but with parental support, encouragement, and positive solutions, most children soon give up hiding altogether.
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