Views

All the changes, conflicts, and uncertainty in the child’s life exacerbates anxiety. It is important to understand the behavior and patterns related to the questions they ask.

If a parent is not aware of their children’s fear, they leave them up to their subconscious. Most of the time fear is disguised as curiosity and if not addressed, fear wins. With time children start accepting their inquisitiveness as embarrassment, failure, and regret.

“Kids are born curious about the world. What adults primarily do in the presence of kids is unwittingly thwart the curiosity of children.”

-Neil deGrasse Tyson

The thin line. Curiosity is a desire to know about something resulting from excitement, expansiveness, or the quality of being optimistic. Fear is experienced when a child feels out of control in the situation he finds himself in. The feeling of anxiety, stress, embarrassment, inadequacy, insecurity, and overwhelm are all types of fear. Most of the time, the physical responses to these experiences of fear and excitement are the same. The way we treat and respond to child’s perceptions and responses makes all the difference.

The ignorance might result in….

Lack of confidence, indecisiveness, dissociation from self, obsessive-compulsive thoughts, poor social skills, avoidance of everyday activities, anger, and irritability are a few of the consequences if parents do not focus on the ‘What Ifs’. These what-ifs cling tighter and drag the child down.

What you can do

• Give reassurance.
• Respect their feelings.
• Practice what you preach.
• Have open and healthy conversations.
• Recognize the event and pattern.
• Encourage journaling and self-awareness.

HealthSetGo recommends consulting a mental health professional or therapist if required