32 years
My kid, 3 years old is having fears Santa. Sometimes he says he's afraid without any reason even if nothing changes in his situation. Any help?
Dec 26, 2015
And correlating this question to your other question, your child's fears may be deliberately exaggerated as part of his attempts to gain as much attention from you as possible because he's feeling jealous of his baby sister.
Anxiety is defined as "apprehension without apparent cause." It usually occurs when there's no immediate threat to a person's safety or well-being, but the threat feels real. Kids between the ages 4 through 6 years have anxiety about things that aren't based in reality, such as fears of monsters and ghosts, or Santa Claus in your child’s case – something which is not uncommon. A fear of Santa is common and normal among children, typically from ages 2 to 7 years. It's important to see things from your little one's perspective: he might be afraid of Santa for a number of reasons. Some kids don't like his white beard, his gloves, or his red suit. Others might be afraid of his odd vocabulary (Ho! Ho! Ho!), or Santa's noisy grotto environment, and the pressure of being “good” to get a present are likely to contribute to a scary experience. The fear of Santa is similar to the common fear of clowns. And, of course, plenty of kids are fearful simply because they're expected to talk to a complete stranger and possibly sit on his lap.
To help your child deal with fears and anxieties:
· Acknowledge that the fear is real. As trivial as a fear may seem, it feels real to your child and it's causing him to feel anxious and afraid. Being able to talk about fears helps — if you talk about it, it can become less powerful.
· Don't cater to fears, though. This will just reinforce the source of their fear and that these sources should be avoided. Provide support and gentle care as you approach the feared object or situation with your child.
· Teach your child how to rate fear. A child who can visualize the intensity of the fear on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the strongest, may be able to "see" the fear as less intense than first imagined. Younger kids can think about how "full of fear" they are, with being full "up to my knees" as not so scared, "up to my stomach" as more frightened, and "up to my head" as truly petrified.
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