Search Results for: blog how we contribute to our childrens fears

Are They Really “Unreasonable” Fears?

Somewhere around two years old or so, many children seem to suddenly develop what we parents think are “unreasonable” fears. A happy-go-lucky child will suddenly cry every time mom or dad leaves his sight, a favored stuffed animal or toy will become scary, or other strange and unnamed fears will pop up. As parents, we may vacillate between concern and frustration—what on earth is going on?! In truth, all sorts of developmental things are going on that contribute to these very real fears. Our children start to develop an imagination and have enough life experience to contribute to imagining and … Continue reading →

Who Is Really Afraid Here?

I wrote earlier this morning about how as parents we can have more compassion and understanding for our young children as they start to develop and exhibit what seem like “irrational” fears. As I was writing, I couldn’t help think about how we sometimes create fears for our children or at least contribute to their fears with things that we say and do. Sometimes, the fears our children exhibit and share are really our own… Take, for example, stranger danger and the fears we have about our children getting “taken” or “stolen” from us. Using this strong, fearful language with … Continue reading →