What are children afraid of?
Children's fears are diverse. For. so that the child begins to experience irrational fear, you need a strong push, an excuse. Usually it's parents quarrels, scary movies or cartoons, strange objects, loud sounds, and sometimes reckless phrases of adults. Famous stories about Babayka became the cause of many different fears among many children.
In addition, children perfectly feel the mood of their parents. If adults are frightened by something, then this condition is transmitted to the child. Therefore, it is worthwhile to remain calm with children.
Children of younger preschool age may experience fears of pain and fears associated with visiting hospitals, fears of fairy-tale characters. Therefore, when reading fairy tales to the child, it is worth softening the negative image of the heroes.
Older children begin to fear more serious things. For example, children of primary school age, realize their own mortality and mortality of parents. They begin to worry that they can suddenly die or lose loved ones. Sometimes these fears can capture them whole.
Older children are afraid not to like it, they are afraid of mistakes and punishments, condemnation and loss. Their fears are already similar to those emotions experienced by adults.
Punishing children for fears is meaningless. This will only exacerbate the situation. The child will close. And to his original fear will also add fear of being punished. This can cause serious deviations in the psyche, neurosis and enuresis.
How to deal with fears?
First you need to distinguish between ordinary fears and phobias. Phobias are obsessions that do not leave a child. Ordinary fears arise from time to time and pass quickly enough.
It is necessary to remove from the sight of the child those things that frighten him, to explain to him that his life and health are not threatened, to prove it in any way. Do not try to radically get rid of fears, for example, if the child is afraid of the dark, you can not lock it in a dark room. This will not reduce fear to no, but only strengthen it or provoke a hysterical. Remember yourself as children, for sure, you were afraid of something. Therefore, do not treat children as you would not want to be treated. This golden rule works great so far.
Provide a quiet environment in the family. Eliminate all conflicts and quarrels, take care of the child from stress. Read to him those books that do not frighten the child, do not allow watching movies that can provoke a fit of fear. And try to talk as much as possible with the baby about what's bothering him. Calm the child, but do not hide the truth. For example, if the kid is afraid that you will sometime die, do not promise him that this will never happen. Tell me that you are trying to do everything to make this happen as late as possible, after many, many years. The child is difficult to imagine such a temporary segment, say, 50 or 100 years, so this explanation is quite satisfactory.
In the event that children's fears do not pass, then you should consult a child psychologist for advice and assistance. This will help you solve the problem faster and get rid of possible consequences. The main thing is to understand that childhood age-related fear is absolutely normal. Deviation from the norm, they can only be if they interfere with the normal life of the child, but this problem can now be solved quickly and effectively.