By Darlene Zagata
It is normal to have fears. We all fear something.
Although there are some people who claim they aren't afraid
of anything, you can rest assured that they do have some sort of
fear even if they have themselves convinced otherwise. It is certainly
not unusual for children to have fears. They look to their parents
for comfort in soothing away those fears.
A
common fear found in children is fear of the dark. Often it helps
to leave a nightlight on in the child's bedroom and to leave
the door partially open. It may also be helpful to stay in the child's
room until he or she falls asleep. You may need to do this for a
while until the child gradually overcomes the fear of the dark.
Read a bedtime story or two while the child slips into slumber.
Show the child the stars, moon and the beauty that the night sky
holds. Doing so may help to alleviate his or her fears of the dark.
You may also want to purchase glow in the dark stars to place on
the ceiling of the child's bedroom.
Once your little one has managed to lengthen
out the time between feedings and has slept all night a few times,
your actions and responses will determine how often those quiet
nights occur and when they become the normal routine. Try these
suggestions to bring quiet nights to your house sooner rather than
later.
Children that are afraid of the dark may also fear monsters. If
your child imagines monsters hiding beneath the bed or inside the
closet, reassure and comfort the child. Look beneath the bed, inside
the closet and any other place monsters may hide. Then have your
child look with you. In this way you are helping the child to confront
his fear.
 But children have fears beyond monsters and the
dark. Some children are afraid of noises, people and many other
fears both real and imagined. When my daughter was a young child
she became frightened very easily by noise or loud voices. If her
older brothers got loud while playing around and wrestling with
each other, she would get scared and hide under the bed. Even a
knock on the door would send her running upstairs.
Most
parents caution their children against talking to strangers but
my daughter was terrified of strangers so we didn't need to
worry about her ever being too friendly. Just the mere sight of
a stranger would send her clinging to her father's leg or
mine, whichever one of us happened to be closest. And believe me,
it took a great deal of effort to detach her from my limb.
She gradually grew out of her fears and seems to
be a completely different person now. The loud noise that used to
scare her has been replaced with loud music that sometimes scares
me. The little girl that was frightened of people is now more of
a people person that I could have ever imagined.
As our children grow and change, so will
their fears change. Some fears will dissipate into the ether of
imagination while others become more realistic. Talk to your children
about their fears. Let them know that it's okay to be afraid.
If your child asks you what you are afraid of, be honest. Explain
your fears in ways he or she can understand. Don't be too
overprotective when dealing with fearful children. Reassure your
child and help him to understand his fears.
Article written by Darlene Zagata.
All opinions expressed are that of the writer.
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