Common Fears In Young Children

Children have to face specific fears during their development. These fears are normal because they are typical of specific phases in early childhood. 

Growing up and fear

We all know what it feels like to be afraid or scared. Fear is a very common emotion, being a kind of protection mechanism in threatening or dangerous situations. When we feel afraid, our body triggers off a tension which makes us more alert and enables us to concentrate.

Children can have fears as well that are typical for their age. It is important to guide young children through their fears so as to make sure they get over them. Once children see more and more of the world and learn about it, there is a growing possibility that specific situations are considered frightening. Fears can also be caused by specific experiences, such as being bitten by a dog.

This article deals with fears that are common in young children when growing up.

Fear of the dark, ghosts and monsters

Young children often have a very vivid imagination, especially between two and four years old. At this age, children usually start watching cartoons, hearing most imaginative stories before going to sleep. Though these activities are very entertaining during the day, they may cause unforeseen fears in the evening. When it gets dark, the world looks different and children may see monsters and ghosts under their beds or behind curtains. Children at this age confuse fiction and dreams with reality, so it is the parents’ responsibility to make it clear to them time after time that the stories they hear and the cartoons they watch are bogus.

Fear of separation

Children between eight and eighteen months often experience fear of separation. If one of the parents or someone else from their social environment is leaving, even if it is temporary, it makes them very sad. Children this young do not yet realize that their mum is sure to come back; they are afraid to be left behind. Usually, around the age of three this fear is completely gone because children have stopped worrying by then about facing new and strange people like a baby sitter and feel at ease with them.

Major events

Major events in the lives of preschool children can be frightening. If parents are getting divorced, the social environment of the children is changing completely, which may lead to anxiety. Little children wonder what is going on and tend to blame themselves for a traumatic event they do not fully understand. When mum or dad leaves the family, infants are apt to think their bad behaviour of the day before is the reason for this. The arrival of a new brother or sister can frighten a child as well. They fear they will get no more attention from their mother or that she prefers to spend more time with her new baby.

How to deal with fear

Talk to your child about a situation and how you feel

Fears in preschoolers and young children are often born because they cannot fully understand the situation. For that reason, it is important  for parents to give explanation to their children, for example, by telling where they are going and when they will come back. A constructive conversation about fears may help as well. It is best to talk about fears during the day to make sure that children are not going to bed while these nasty thoughts still linger on in their memory. 

Be serious

Fears that seem ridiculous to adults play an important role in the lives of children. Therefore it is important to take any fear seriously and not to give children the feeling that they are babies. If you try to comfort your child,  it is important to make it clear to them that being afraid is okay, which will make the child feel stronger. However, a parent should not focus too much on fear either as this might frighten the child even more.

Step-by-step approach

Any fear can be overcome, including those of a child. It is important that they should try to get over fear step by step. A child that is afraid to sleep in the dark can be helped temporarily by leaving a small light switched on in the bedroom. Switching off the light a little earlier every day will make the child feel secure enough to eventually sleep in the dark. It is not wrong for children to seek comfort in their favorite cuddly toy. Consequently, this has to be stimulated.

Professional help

If fear becomes excessive and too much for a parent to handle, the best thing to do is to consult a professional such as a paediatrician or a child psychologist.    

Sources: www.todio.nl