Questions tagged [fears]

Questions regarding analyzing, preventing, or helping a child cope with fearful things in their life.

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13 votes
8 answers
8k views

6 year old won't go to the bathroom by herself anymore, because of being scared. What to do?

My 6 y.o. is what Dr. Becky (if you know her) would call a "deeply feeling child." Every day is either the best or worst day ever, and she usually declares each day as one or the other ...
NeutronStar's user avatar
  • 1,120
7 votes
3 answers
449 views

How to best prepare a pre-school child for surgery and associated procedures?

My child of four years (and eight months) is soon having surgical treatment. I want to prepare them in the best way possible for the trip to the hospital and best manage any distress around the ...
Liam's user avatar
  • 71
2 votes
4 answers
2k views

How to help 2-year-old overcome fear of swings and slides?

Our two and a half year old daughter has had a strange fear of slides and swings for some time (maybe half a year or more). She doesn't dare to slide alone, only if someone holds her hand, except for ...
Manuel K's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
750 views

Fear of climbing certain staircase by a 6 year old kid

What might be the reasons for a 6 year old kid to get fear for climbing up or down certain staircases in public places? The kid can climb stairs at home and other frequently used stairs, but gets ...
Vik's user avatar
  • 43
11 votes
6 answers
4k views

What can I do to encourage my 10-year-old boy to try things he is reluctant about?

My boy is 10. He likes maths, handball and Minecraft. He enjoys football socially but isn't particularly passionate about it. When I offered to teach my son to ride a bike, he wasn't that excited ...
hawkeye's user avatar
  • 2,243
5 votes
1 answer
455 views

3 year old and Monster's Inc

My three-year-old son recently watched Monster's Inc. He enjoyed the movie and laughed at the funny parts but there has been a side-effect of the plot. He's now afraid of doors at night time. He ...
SomeShinyObject's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
345 views

Strange fears in a toddler

Helloall, we are looking for some advice about our 18 month old son. Since a month or so he has started manifesting strange episodes of fear towards some household objects. The first instance was a ...
cecilian - MonicaWasMistreated's user avatar
33 votes
12 answers
12k views

How do I help my 3 year old daughter who is terrified of what I believe is a ghost?

My 3 year old daughter has no idea what ghosts or scary things are. She doesn't play on youtube or watches scary things on TV, except for Disney movies like Moana and so forth. She mentioned about 3 ...
monique's user avatar
  • 331
2 votes
2 answers
363 views

2 year old son not the typical 2 year old boy

Just wondering if anyone has a 2 year old Son that isn’t the typical two year old boy? My son is so gentle, scared of a lot of things (riding bikes, scooter etc. He doesn’t jump around and play rough ...
Smra93's user avatar
  • 29
-1 votes
1 answer
412 views

Im scared of my dads yelling at me for little things [closed]

So i cleaned my room and i was in a hurry so forgot to do the bed and forgot to close a cabinet, when i get home my dad starts screaming at me and this always happens and i always cry and now i'm ...
anonymous's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
614 views

How to explain an online scary story to a 7 year old boy?

My 7 year old kid just started playing the game minecraft. He quite enjoyed it, played it a lot and also watched many related youtube videos. However, he watched some youtube videos about "Entity ...
athos's user avatar
  • 153
6 votes
1 answer
324 views

How to get an 8+ month old acquainted with a grandparent after a rough start?

Our 8 month old son started being aware and wary of strangers since he turned 7 months old. We've discovered that the way to get friendly with him is to approach him slowly. Interact with him from ...
learner101's user avatar
  • 3,431
2 votes
0 answers
174 views

Helping a child who panics and runs away at the mere mention of 'doctor' [closed]

Little bit of disclosure, I'm a 21-year-old who has no kids, but am a hobbyist writer. I am writing a story with a family and asked this question here because I want to hear from real parents as to ...
Jazzyamx's user avatar
  • 131
3 votes
1 answer
259 views

Teach a kid to not run from dogs

I live in an area with lots of animals. We have feral cats, dogs that run wild, fox, coyotes, raccoons, and I've seen security footage of a cougar. My partner and I took our 5 y/o for a walk around ...
James Gatannah's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
452 views

2 year old son refuses to go down onto the floor after seeing a bug

My son is 2. Until recently, he had no problem walking around in the house as a child of that age normally would. However, recently he jumps up into our arms as soon as we come into the house and ...
Matt Samuel's user avatar
6 votes
3 answers
456 views

How can I help my daugther with her fears of imaginary animals

Some time ago, my daughter (5 1/2 y/o) started telling us, that she has "scary thoughts" about animals that frighten her. She's talking about king cobra's, weasels (we have a book about an evil weasel)...
Paul Kertscher's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
214 views

Fear of DAD and leaving [closed]

I'm 26 years but i still stay with my Dad because in a typical african home its a taboo for a lady to leave her fathers and live alone. They see it as her being wayward and she will not have chances ...
jasmine's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
1 answer
313 views

How to teach a 7-year-old that things don't always go her way?

I've noticed that whenever things don't happen how she expects them to happen, my 7-year-old niece starts crying, runs away, or engages herself with another activity that she has more control over. ...
Yeb's user avatar
  • 11
5 votes
2 answers
538 views

How to help my 11-year-old sister, who is terrified after watching a horror movie?

Context: at a birthday party my 11-year-old sister watched Annabelle and Annabelle 2. She told us later that even though she was frightened the whole time, she didn't want to stop watching, mainly as ...
essay's user avatar
  • 151
2 votes
1 answer
170 views

How to help my 3-year-old who wakes up at night in fear of a bug biting his leg (again)?

My child is 3 years and 2 months old. In the last two weeks, I have seen his behaviour change - he wakes up crying around 2 am, shaking and not allowing his leg to be touched, not wanting a blanket, ...
DADY's user avatar
  • 21
6 votes
1 answer
890 views

How to help a 2 year old with a fear of airplanes?

My just-over-2 year old granddaughter is afraid of aircraft of all kinds passing overhead. No one knows why, and she isn't verbal enough to explain, though she is getting schooled in feeling words. ...
anongoodnurse's user avatar
11 votes
4 answers
1k views

Overcoming an irrational fear of long guns

My 10 year old daughter has developed an acute fear of long guns. This is problematic because we go shooting at the range where I've been showing her guns bigger than our little revolver. This is ...
forest's user avatar
  • 847
0 votes
1 answer
150 views

How to deal with an 18-month-old's separation anxiety when we leave the room? [closed]

we have an 18 month old kid and he has huge excitement of exploring everything he can get his hands on or play with anything. May it be food to eat or my laptop or mobile or TV remote. For the last 9 ...
Ciasto piekarz's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
236 views

Is it normal for some toddlers to be scared of strangers?

Neither me nor most of my friends have children, so I do not really have anyone I can ask about this. I am new to the childcare industry and some of the toddlers seem scared of me. I am not used to ...
user avatar
8 votes
3 answers
1k views

Why is my toddler afraid of talking puppets?

My 2-year-old son enjoys having stuffed animals around him as comfort objects, as well as playing with toy humans and animals. Ever since the first time he saw a talking puppet (around 18 months old, ...
Josh Withee's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
208 views

How can I mitigate how my toddler has generalized a fear related to insects/flies?

I'm typically careful of not instilling needless fears in my toddler as I want her to be afraid of important danger and not everything and anything that might be dangerous. We went for a vacation ...
curious's user avatar
  • 210
2 votes
2 answers
695 views

What can help my son overcome his fear of ghosts and demons?

My son is afraid of ghosts and demons no matter how much I try to convince him that there's nothing to be afraid of. I read the questions and answers about fear of ghosts, so I thought that as movies ...
Clarissa's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
7k views

Using scare tactics to get children to obey

My daughter is 18 months old. Recently we have been using scare tactics to make her obey. Do this or else Aunty from the top floor will come and shout at you Do this or the dog will come for you We ...
ArunM's user avatar
  • 163
6 votes
3 answers
407 views

How to handle 3-year-old's fear of failure?

The boy is now nearly four years old, and he has a tendency to not wanting to try anything new or doing things he's not good at. Here are some examples: If you give him a coloring book and some ...
rijnswind's user avatar
  • 109
6 votes
1 answer
348 views

Disciplining: what to do when kid starts hiding his mischief?

We try to set well-defined/predictable and not-to-harsh consequences for mischief of our 4.5-year-old: timeouts, taking away toys, refusing to play, skipping story-time, etc., but no physical ...
Irfy's user avatar
  • 163
12 votes
3 answers
558 views

How do I resolve a child's anxiety for war?

Missile warning siren tests are going to be conducted in Hawaii once per month. Presumably the government will start distributing information on shelters and how to shelter in place, and some schools ...
Adam Davis's user avatar
  • 6,563
4 votes
3 answers
574 views

How can I help my son overcome his fear of dogs so we can enjoy our time together with my puppy?

"Bob" is a divorced dad of a 5 year old boy, "Tom". Tom lives with his mother and also spends a lot of time with his grandma and great grandmother. Both Bob and his ex-wife work full-time and he only ...
Tycho's Nose's user avatar
7 votes
2 answers
694 views

How do I help the neighbor's kids not be so scared of me?

My husband and I are in our early thirties and have no children. I don't really have much experience with kids. I am happy to talk to them but have never had any of my own so don't feel super ...
user avatar
5 votes
7 answers
3k views

My child is afraid of death

My daughter is 13, and terrified of death. I'm Christian, and I believe there is a heaven, but she isn't religious- according to her, she's tried, but can't make herself Believe in anything. At first, ...
M. Kuro's user avatar
  • 51
6 votes
2 answers
319 views

What are effective strategies against social phobia?

Our 5 years old (in a month) daughter has excessive apprehension about being immerged in new environments with people (especially children) she doesn't know. Basically, she will cry her heart out ...
Skippy le Grand Gourou's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
36 views

11 year old leaking or wetting pants while laughing [duplicate]

My 11 year old daughter has "leaked" or wet her pants (small amount) while laughing hard. She has become irrationally fearful to the point where she quit soccer and doesn't want to do anything where ...
user22304's user avatar
11 votes
5 answers
3k views

How to deal with toddler's fear of dogs?

My son used to be around our dog until she died, almost a year ago, when he was 11 months old. Since then, and up until last December, he'd gladly pet a dog whenever he had the occasion to, that is, ...
giorgian's user avatar
  • 211
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

How to handle a 10 year-old's scary imaginings?

Our daughter has always been easily frightened, but a few days ago she "saw a face" in a bundle of blankets (in the middle of the day in a well-lit room) and became so scared that she couldn't bring ...
Gavin42's user avatar
  • 202
5 votes
1 answer
638 views

11 year old fear of wetting pants

My 11 year old daughter has an irrational fear of wetting her pants from laughing too hard. It has apparently happened where this occurred in very small amounts, but now she has turned it into ...
user22304's user avatar
10 votes
2 answers
473 views

Fear developing in three year old

I have a three and a half year old boy. We have been going to this theme park for years, he has gone on all of the rides which are age appropriate since a little more than one without any sign of fear....
kleineg's user avatar
  • 274
130 votes
11 answers
41k views

I am 21 and I am terrified beyond belief of my father

I am a 21 year old female living in Egypt and I am beyond terrified of my own father...at least I think he is my father. To say it shortly, I think I might have been adopted at a young age and no one ...
user21063's user avatar
  • 1,149
19 votes
5 answers
1k views

My 6 year old daughter is afraid her Muslim friend will be deported if Trump is elected President

My 6 year old daughter has a best friend at school who is Muslim and from a Muslim family. She is aware of the Presidential race, presumably from news. To my surprise, she has tearfully told me that ...
Thunderforge's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
657 views

The toddler is being frightened of ghosts at daycare. How should I deal with the child before the fear sets in completely?

I can't make out who said this to her at daycare, and it doesn't matter since I don't have any control over the daycare people. Toddler is 2.6 years old. 3 days back the toddler told me that there ...
paradigmBreaking's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
817 views

How do I solve my brother's fear of a creepy video game character?

I was playing a creepy little indie video game the other day (Undertale) and my brother (who is 9 years old) happened to watch me play for a while, despite my warnings that it might be scary or ...
personjerry's user avatar
14 votes
4 answers
16k views

Is my wife an over-protective parent and how does this influence my child?

My daughter is 10 months old. Since her birth, my wife has never even once left the baby with me alone. First it was breastfeeding, then other excuses. She's constantly around me. Constantly ...
dad's user avatar
  • 513
31 votes
5 answers
7k views

How to explain Paris terrorist attack to primary school age children?

How can I explain terrorism and the recent radical Muslim shootings in Paris to my primary school age children? They have obviously noticed the media reports and they saw our local TV tower lit up ...
MLu's user avatar
  • 443
2 votes
0 answers
223 views

My toddler used to love bath time and now he hates it (or is scared of it) [duplicate]

My toddler seemingly has developed some fear to bath time. My toddler (16 moths) used to love bath time. He would be smiling when I carried him naked to the bath and loved to play with his bath toys. ...
Diego's user avatar
  • 414
35 votes
14 answers
20k views

How to address my son’s fear of mostly passive objects, namely smoke detectors

My almost three-year-old son’s room, as well as our sleeping room, is equipped with a smoke detector. A few weeks ago, the one in our sleeping room went off and was beeping very loudly for ten seconds ...
Wrzlprmft's user avatar
  • 459
3 votes
1 answer
198 views

How to help 2nd grade daughter who is afraid of many things?

She is scared to sleep alone, even when I am sitting near the bedroom door. She is scared to go to the bathroom (keeps door open). She needs my company in public bathrooms. I must stand near the door. ...
CoolArchTek's user avatar
9 votes
6 answers
3k views

How to (or should I even try to) break a zombie fixation for a three-year-old

I have two boys, one eleven, and one three. I don't know exactly how or when, but the 11-year-old has decided that it was a good idea to explain the the 3-year-old all about zombies. Of course he ...
zugzwang's user avatar
  • 1,151