Helping Your Children Overcome Their Fears

If you’re a parent, you probably got plenty of exercise this Halloween week! Between costumes and parties and trick-or-treating, there’s a lot of running around and sugary treats in your household.

While little ghouls and goblins are having fun roaming the streets, Halloween may also strike fear in your younger children. 

What children are afraid of varies greatly, but according to one source, the top five fears of children are:

5.    Sounds they hear at night 

4.    War and terrorism (time to shut off that TV, I think)

3.    Thunderstorms, tornadoes and other violent weather

2.    Nightmares and scary dreams

And the number one fear among children is…

1. Scary movies and TV shows (again, that TV!)

As parents, there are a couple of things you can do to help your children overcome these fears. First, respect your children’s fears. These are very real to them, and they are coming to you for support and guidance. 

Second, talk to your kids about scary things that could happen and things that might never happen. Teach them not to worry about threats that are very unlikely. For example, stormy weather can be dangerous, but most of the time, it doesn’t cause damage or hurt people.

Third, help children come up with ways to overcome their fears. If they have trouble sleeping in their own bed at night, read a bedtime story, say a nighttime prayer, or have them lead you on a check of their room to make sure there are no “monsters” hiding under the bed.

Share with your children as the Bible teaches us in 2 Timothy 1:7, For the spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self discipline; the power over a fear and the self discipline to reject that fear.

It’s important to remember that your child will grow out of most of his or her fears. But it’s even more important to connect with your children now so they know they can always come to you when they’re afraid.