Winner's Circle Network with Lou Tice - Children and Fear

[Guest guest]

Winner's Circle Network with Lou Tice - " Children and Fear "

Everyone feels frightened from time to time, especially young children.

Since Hurricane Katrina, there have been some pretty frightening images on

the news. Today, let's talk about how to handle the fears of the children in

our lives, whether they be our children, grandchildren, godchildren, nieces,

nephews - whatever.

What should you do if your child becomes terrified of the water, or of going

to the doctor, or shows fearful or aggressive behavior that you hadn't

noticed before? First, don't panic. Fears surface normally during many

stages of child development.

Reassure your children patiently and affectionately about themselves as well

as the feared object or person. Let them know you understand how they feel,

and that it's OK to feel that way. Hold the line on reasonable discipline

and clear limits, reminding them of the reasons for these limits and helping

them to see that learning to control our behavior in acceptable ways is a

process that takes plenty of time.

Tell them about how you or others in the family deal with fearful or

aggressive feelings, and help them begin to express themselves and

understand why they feel the way they do. Make sure each knows that in case

of real danger, you will do your best to keep them safe. In doing so, you

will be establishing valuable patterns for sharing the inevitable turmoil of

later periods, including adolescence and young adulthood.

Fears are part of the normal periods of adjustment that kids go through as

they grow and develop, and your attitude can make a tremendous difference in

how soon they disappear.

Lou Tice

The Pacific Institute

Blessings,

Charlene

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