A child experiences a variety of fears as part of growing up. The array of fear ranges from darkness and monsters to simply being away from parents with unknown people. Your child must also have one or more fear that makes you perturbed as well. Well, as you can see, almost all children are scared of something or the other. Some simple tips can go a long way in helping your child to cope with his fear or phobia.
1. Acknowledge the child’s fear as real: However far away or minor the fear may seem to you, it is important that you consider it as real. This is because the child considers the fear as real and it disturbs him. Talk about the child’s problem. Sometimes this simple tool can ease the child make the fear go away.
2. Do not belittle of mock the child: Making fun of a scared child is only going to distance you from him/her. When the child is scared, support and soothe him. Do not, at any point, make fun of the child’s fear as it will worsen the problem.
3. Never cater to fears: As much as it is important to not make a mockery of the fear, it is equally important to not consider the child’s fear as an integral part of his/her life to make the child conscious about it all the time.
4. Teach your child how to rate fear: This is useful to the child in describing the situation to you or to the doctor, if required. The child can easily rate the fear on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the state when the child feels truly petrified.
5. Facing the fear: The child must be taught how to face his/her fear. The parents can be especially useful by telling the child repeatedly that the fear is unnecessary. For example, the parents can accompany the child to a pet shop and show the child themselves that dogs are not scary. After some time, the child will gradually learn and fear will diminish.
6. Relaxation techniques: In facing the fear, it is important the child does not freak out. Teach the child some simple relaxation techniques such as counting from 1 to 10 whenever he suddenly gets too nervous. Deep breathing always helps.
7. Handling separation anxiety: Many young children are petrified by the thought of being left out with strangers, the best example being in school. It is a tough task to get such kids ready for school each morning. For such children, it is important that you make them believe that they can handle themselves alone for sometimes. Keep your goodbyes short and give the child something for comforting, such as a picture of the family.
8. Never use the fear as an instrument for punishment: In doing so, you are only reinforcing the child’s fear for your benefit. It will make him/her even more scared of the unknown.
9. Do not be obsessed: Often it happens that the child is truly not comfortable with something, and the parents forcibly engage the child in some activity for their pleasure. For example, a child is extremely fearful of water and you throw him in water so that he learns how to swim. This can bear dangerous consequences.
10. Be patient: Sooner or later, all children overcome their teeny tiny fears. It just takes different time, a few more years in some cases. Just be patient with your child and let him grow. Never humiliate the child or his fear.
11. Never encourage the fear by messing with a child’s imagination: Do not indulge the child in discussions or activities that aggravate the fear. If you do so, explain to the child that it was purely imaginative and is not related to real life at all.
12. Take a step further: Parents most often soothe the child and pamper them when they feels scared. If it does not help, take a step further and confront it with him.
13. Recognize the symptoms: Analyse the child’s pattern of behaviour. This aids in ascertain any unusual change in behaviour to prevent it from further developing into a phobia.
14. Know your child’s peers: Know who the child meets every day, like your child friends. This will eliminate bad company that is affecting the child’s mind.
15. Seeking professional aid: If all else fails, it is crucial that you seek professional help to treat your child with proper medication or therapy, so that the child does not suffer any further.