Adults and children alike have fears. Fear is something we all experience because it’s a built in protective measure that helps us avoid or predict danger. But when your child has fears that interrupt sleep, or daily activities, what can you do to help? They don’t have to be severe fears to change the way your child behaves.
The top five fears for younger children are:
5- Doctor
4- War
3- Personal Danger
2- Loss of a Parent
1- Divorce
And though your own child may display different fears, like thunder storms, scary dreams or TV shows, the way you help your child work through those fears can be the same. By giving your child as much information about their fear as is age appropriate the better they will understand what is an imagined part of the fear and what is real.
Keep in mind however, that a young child who is experiencing the fear of something imagined is still having a very real emotion.
