My 4-1/2 year old son has suddenly become very afraid - afraid of a fire at home, afraid of being alone in a room at home.

Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. to teach her she can handle it.

So, they reenact their fears to bring healing or closure to them. Some limit a child’s development and opportunities. Paraphrased/quoted from Dreikurs: A small child, suddenly faced with a new and surprising situation that seems threatening (say, having a room all to herself) has several choices open to her. She also is waking up every night and wailing that she is scared. Some parents make the mistake of making their children afraid to do certain things. When a small child’s fears are activated, words alone probably won’t be enough to calm her.

Your child must learn to make that transition alone. This does not mean that she is not really afraid, or that she is being consciously manipulative. We just calmly did our best to stay with her.

This is a battle that will make you rethink your decision to battle in the first place. Share this article with them. I let him be with me when he wanted/needed to, and did not make a big deal about it. Learn how to manage stress like a therapist. Children are natural hams. And just when you are about to give up – it all starts to come together, if you let it! In no sense is this information intended to provide diagnoses or act as a substitute for the work of a qualified professional. Try to give her plenty of non-fear attention and no attention for her fears whatsoever. Expressed a positive and confident attitude that your child will conquer his fears and will succeed. My 4-1/2 year old son has suddenly become very afraid - afraid of a fire at home, afraid of being alone in a room at home. For example, you might decide that you will spend 15 minutes alone without calling, texting, or messaging anyone, perhaps 4 times per week. One of these is the fear of being alone. For a young child, just a few minutes might seem like ages. Children have radar for when the adults are lying — which makes them all the more fearful. In general, the fear of being alone develops at between 2 and 5 years of age. Encourage her whenever she draws on courage to do things. For example, check together for under-bed monsters.

Anon. Suzanne, I can't really offer any advice about helping your daughter move through this challenging moment but I do have something to say about your part in it. Your vision crumbles before you ever begin. I am not so sure about what to do to aleviate the anxiety my daughter is experincing. . Kids (adults too) can’t be reasoned out of things that aren’t reasonable to begin with — at least not at first. An over-response on your part will have two unintended but unfortunate consequences: If you panic, the child will believe he has something to panic about. What is it that you need from time alone? Your Children's Grades Won't Determine Their Success, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bonifacio_Sandin/publication/285732793_Dimensions_of_fears_in_children_Factor_structure_of_the_FSSC-R/links/59ad46e0458515d09ce16c65/Dimensions-of-fears-in-children-Factor-structure-of-the-FSSC-R.pdf, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1134793716300355, http://psicologiaysalud.uv.mx/index.php/psicysalud/article/view/1342. A mental health counselor can offer you important support and guidance for doing so. (I know this is no excuse) A few minutes later my eight year old daughter was getting out of the car, so I rushed out the shop and asked why she was getting out of the car. Do You Teach Your Kids Body Safety?