Childhood fears

Introduction

Definition:-A distressing emotion aroused due to impending danger, evil, pain etc whether the threat is real or imagined.The feeling of being afraid at our childhood stages.It varies as per age and condition as the child being brought up, and being taken cared by parents.

• Ø Japanese proverb

Fear is only as deep as the mind allows

• Ø Mahatma Gandhi

Fear has its use, but cowardice has none. I may not put my        hand into the jaws of a snake, but the very sight of the snake need not strike terror into me. The trouble is that we often die many times before death overtakes us.

v What are some of the most common childhood fears?

ü Monsters

ü The dark

ü Dreadful nigtmares

ü Storms/thunder/lightning

ü Bugs /snakes

ü Social isolation(older childs)

ü Getting lost/being kidnapped

ü Fire

ü Harm coming to parents

v Some signs that a child may be overly anxious about fears may include

ü Becoming clingy ,impulsive or distracted

ü Nervous movements, such as temporary twitches

ü Problems getting to sleep and/or staying longer than as usual

ü Sweaty hands

ü Accelerated heart beats and breathing

ü Nausea

ü Headaches

ü Stomachaches

Many common fears in young children, such as being afraid of the dark, stem from anxiety over being separated from one or both parents. Nighttime is a time of uncertainty for children because it is the only time they are entirely alone. Without the presence of a parental figure, a child may not feel entirely safe or secure. The dark is only one of various fears that can stem from separation anxiety. Reeve cites the fear of a parent getting hit by a car as the most common.

Young children also fear the unfamiliar and the unknown. For young children who are just beginning to organize the world around them, monsters are still in their realm of possibility. They are not entirely sure of what exists and what does not, so their imagination can create incredible things.

Older children learn to separate the real from the fictional. They begin to develop more socially-oriented or abstract fears. Older children become concerned about peer opinion, popularity, bullying or failing classes.

v  Why do childhood fears develop?

We cannot answer it in single words as fear is a broader term to be explained,it varies child to child .Early research appeared to indicate that phobias were behaviorally conditioned. For example, if a child is bit by a dog, their chances of fearing dogs increases. However, more recent studies suggest that many people are born with unusually responsive or sensitive temperaments that put them at risk for anxieties and fears.

Reeve a prolific researcher thinks that, “There is also considerable evidence that anxiety runs in families. It is unknown whether this is because of parental conditioning or genetic inheritance.”

v How to deal with childhood fears by parents and elders?

• Recognize that the fear is real. As trivial as a fear may seem, it feels real to your child and it’s causing him to feel anxious and afraid. Being able to talk about fears helps — words often take some of the power out of the negative feeling. If you talk about it, it can

become less powerful. Use “detective thinking” by asking him to assess the threat he is anticipating: “What do you think will happen? Is it reasonable to think that you will drown with a lifejacket on and me standing beside you?”

• Never belittle the fear as a way of forcing your child to overcome it. Saying, “Don’t be ridiculous! That slide isn’t even that high”, may get your child to go to the playground, but it won’t make the fear go away.

• Don’t feed into to fears, either. If your child doesn’t like insects, don’t not walk on the grass to avoid one. This will just reinforce that insects should be feared and avoided. Provide support and gentle care as you approach the feared object or situation with your child.

• Teach kids how to rate fear. A child who can visualize the intensity of the fear on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest, may be able to “see” the fear as less intense than first imagined. Rating on a thermometer is also a good visual tool. Younger kids can think about how “full of fear” they are, with being full “up to my knees” as not so scared, “up to my stomach” as more frightened, and “up to my head” as truly petrified. After you some coping strategies have him rate the fear again so he can see how much control he has over managing it.

• Teach coping strategies. Try these easy-to-implement techniques. Exposure: using you as “home base,” the child can venture out toward the feared object, and then return to you for safety before venturing out again. Positive Self Talk: The child can also learn some positive self-statements, such as “I can do this” and “I will be OK” to say to himself when feeling anxious.

• Relaxation techniques are helpful, including visualization (of floating on a cloud or lying on a beach, for example) and deep

breathing (imagining that the lungs are balloons and letting them slowly deflate).

If anxious feelings persist, they can be a real detriment to a child’s well being.The question to ask yourself is how are your son’s fears impacting his activities of daily living: social interactions, academic performance, sleep? If his fears are keeping him from participating in his life, i.e. he won’t go out for recess because he is afraid of going near the slide on the playground, or he refuses to get out of the car when you go to the beach for the day because he doesn’t want to go near the water, or if he is staying up at night worrying about what he will do if he is bullied at school, then you will need to take action and get some professional help

Parents can help.

For children of all ages, it is important that parents acknowledge anxieties and fears. Be understanding. Do not abandon an upset child. Instead, talk them through it. Most importantly, convey your confidence that they are capable of not only handling this fear, but overcoming it. It is essential that your child believe you are confident in their abilities to handle situations. If you seem worried, they will become increasingly anxious. Teaching confidence will go a long way in combatting fears.

For younger children, routine is the key. Bland, repetitive routines encourage a feeling of security. If your child is afraid of the dark, ensure that bedtime is a monotonous, non-exciting time. Every night at a specific time your child should do the same activities in the same order. For example, they should know that every night at 7 p.m. they take a bath, brush their teeth, read a book and go to bed. Since many fears are

manifestations of seperation anxiety, calming routines will help your child feel safe and protected.

At what point should a parent be concerned?

Parents are encouraged to use their common sense and parental intuition to assess whether a fear warrants real concern. Observe other children and see if your child appears different from others in their age group. Feel free to ask other parents their viewpoints. If a child is past the age where it is developmentally normal for them to be afraid of something, for example, monsters, it may be time to consult a pediatrician.

The most important indicator that a fear has reached a concerning or phobic stage is that it is interfering in the child’s everyday ability to function.

Some fears never entirely disappear. Adults may revert back to fears from childhood during particularly stressful times in their lives. Again, this becomes abnormal when a person is no longer able to function normally. But, in general, childhood fears are a normal occurence that are overcome with age.