Fears

Darkness, thunder, spiders, vacuums, etc.—kids can be scared of lots of things. Fears can develop as early as the toddler years, and about half of kids have some sort of fear between the ages of 6-12 years. These often wax and wane over time and usually take a few months to be forgotten. Parents can offer support by explaining that fears are a normal part of life, and over time, they will learn to thrive with these concerns. It is important, though, to not reinforce the child’s concerns but rather discuss what is already being done to help keep the kiddo and family safe.   

More extreme fears are called phobias. For me, a fear turns into a phobia when they stop a kiddo from doing something they would otherwise normally have fun doing or have interest in. This is the stage before a phobia can be debilitating and interfere with daily activities, such as a child refusing to go to school because of the possibility that a fire alarm will go off. 

The good news is that most phobias are very treatable and are not an early sign of other types of mental illness. Getting a child into a psychologist to work on desensitization can be extremely helpful. Over time, a kiddo undergoing this type of therapy will become less and less scared with each small, controlled exposure.