10/03/2018
How many can you check off, or check off on behalf of your child? Thanks to Sensational Futures for sharing!
Anxiety in children presents in many different ways. One thing I’ve noticed is that it’s usually been present for a long time before ‘problematic’ behavior is visible. As a parent, trust your intuition when you notice the small things and changes, and use attuned responses to help your child understand that their brain sometimes tricks them into believing safe things are dangerous (however also be willing to explore the possibility that there might be more going on and don’t ever stop advocating for your child’s right to feeling safe and supported).
Helpful phrases might look like “hmm I notice when we go somewhere new that it can be hard for you to look at people” followed by “yep, meeting new people can be hard - we don’t always know what they might think of us, hey?” You might follow this with an example of how you felt the same, and depending on your child’s needs, tell a playful story about how that fear got the better of you, or one with a more successful outcome. Provide a sense of safety with words like “remember I would never take you somewhere where I thought people weren’t nice!” and finally offer a stepped approach “I wonder if you might be able to look up when Mary says hello?”. Small successes lead to bigger ones, but be patient and meet your child where she is at.
Have a happy long weekend x
Image credit:Pathway 2 Success
