Almost everyone is familiar with childhood fears.parents without exception. And the most common of these fears is the fear of the dark. Many dads are surprised - why did their little one stay in a completely dark room without fear yesterday, and today even in the light of a night light he starts to be capricious. Child psychologists say that the appearance of fear of the dark is nothing more than a sign of the correct development of the child's brain. Therefore, there is no need to panic too much - this is a common and completely normal phenomenon. However, you should never ignore children's fears of the dark - otherwise you will get problems with the already fragile child's psyche.

The reasons that contribute to the emergence of fears

Despite the fact that childhood fears arealmost an integral part of a child's growing up, very often it is the parents who contribute to their emergence. Therefore, it is very important to know what exactly can provoke the development of fear of the dark and aggravate them. Let's figure out why children are afraid of the dark.

• TV

It would seem that all adults are doing fineunderstand that horror films are definitely not for children. But nevertheless, very often parents turn on all sorts of "living dead" and the like, without really thinking about whether a child is running around nearby. And believe me - even if it seems to you that the baby is completely absorbed in the game and does not pay any attention to the screen, in fact this is not so. Therefore, if you want to watch horror films - watch to your heart's content. But only behind tightly closed doors.

• "Educational" techniques

It is not for nothing that the word educational is put in quotation marks— It is very difficult to call intimidation of a child upbringing. But many families still frighten their children with the gray wolf, Baba Yaga, bogeyman. So do not be surprised if your child starts crying hysterically as soon as you turn off the light.

• Psychological situation

Child psychologists claim that most oftenThe cause of children's fears is a tense psychological situation in the family. Children - they are like barometers, so sensitive to any changes within the family. And if you naively believe that the child does not suspect conflicts in the family, you are mistaken. Perhaps he will not be able to formulate his anxiety in words, but it will not be slow to find a way out. Including fear of the dark.

How to cope with fears?

Of course, knowing the reason for children's fears is veryit is important to try to prevent this situation from arising. However, in order to cope with a child's fear of the dark, this is clearly not enough - you need to know how to eliminate the problem. I would like to say right away that it is most reasonable to seek help from a child psychologist. The specialist will really assess the psychological state of your baby, find out where the problem is coming from, and select the optimal therapy to get rid of the fear of the dark. But a lot also depends on the parents. If a child is afraid of the dark, the main task of the parents is to help him overcome this fear.

• Heroes of children's fairy tales

A very effective remedy that canhelp your child cope with their fears - these are the heroes of children's fairy tales. All small children have a very strong imagination - they can bring any characters to life. And if negative characters become a reason for fear of the dark, then positive characters will help to cope with this very fear, and in the shortest possible time. And you just need to push your child in the right direction - for example, tell the little one that Winnie the Pooh copes well with ghosts, and Baba Yaga is afraid of Cheburashka more than anything in the world. Have you told your child? Now go with your child to a toy store and choose a new friend for him. In the evening, before going to bed, be sure to play out the situation together with the child and the toy, and ask the child to play the role of a negative character - this will help the child visualize his fears and get rid of them.

• Buy a night light

Many parents believe that the bestway for a child who is afraid of the dark - it's - darkness. They simply turn off the light, despite the child's tears. However, you can't do this - you will only make the situation worse. Be sure to buy your baby a night light - this will reduce the severity of the problem. And in some cases, the fear goes away completely - after all, it's not dark in the room! But do not forget about safety - you need to buy a high-quality night light to prevent it from catching fire. Choose a suitable place for the night light - it should not be too close to the child's bed so that the light does not shine in the eyes.

• Protect your child from stress

And finally, the most important condition, whichmust be observed by those parents whose child is afraid of the dark - this is a calm psychological environment. Try to protect the child from all stress as much as possible. And, by the way, you need to try to scold the child for misdeeds as little as possible. Look for other methods of influence that will not traumatize the psyche of the child who is afraid of the dark. Psychologists say that those children at whom parents raise their voices and especially spank, are afraid of the dark much more often.

What can not be done in any case?

If your child is afraid of the dark -is not an empty phrase, you should remember like a prayer a few things that should never be done. Otherwise, you will not be able to overcome the fear of the dark and the problem will only get worse. And then you will definitely not be able to do without the help of a psychologist. And in especially severe cases, drug treatment may even be necessary. Agree, it is hardly worth aggravating the situation to such an extent. So, what should parents whose child is afraid of the dark not do?

• Do not try to dissuade the child.

So, the parents realized that the child is afraiddarkness. As a rule, the first thing parents do in the hope of overcoming the fear of the dark is to begin to explain to the child the absurdity of this fear, and they do this at the level of understanding of an adult. But, alas, there is no point in this. Remember - a child's fear of the dark is absolutely irrational and the child simply will not understand most of the logical arguments that you give him, trying to explain that there is no need to be afraid of the dark. The maximum that you will achieve in this way is to lose the child's trust. The baby will decide that you do not trust him and will generally withdraw into himself.

• Do not play along to the baby.

But you shouldn't go to extremes either.By the way, another common mistake of parents is that they start to play along with the child, agreeing with all his fantasies. If the child understands that you believe him, there is a risk that reality will intertwine with fiction. As a result, the fear of the dark will increase many times over. And it will be almost impossible to cope with it.

• Do not shame the child

Another very gross mistake on the part ofparents - an attempt to ridicule the child because of his fears. Believe me, if your child begins to feel ashamed, it will not lead to anything good - the fears will not go away, and an inferiority complex will be added to them. Which, by the way, will intensify these very fears many times over. And it is not surprising, because the child will be sure that he is weak and unable to cope with a critical situation. In this case - with his fear of the dark.

• Do not scold the child

All of the above is also true in relation toscolding. Very often parents are irritated by their child's fear of the dark and they simply scold him for it. And what is most surprising is that in most cases the child stops being afraid of the dark. More precisely, it seems that he stops being afraid. In fact, the fear does not disappear, it just goes deep. And do you know why? Because the fear of parental censure is always stronger. And the problem itself will undermine the child's nervous system from within. And the complexes will increase. And the most important thing that you will need is patience, patience and more patience. You should not expect too quick results - you will not be able to solve the problem in one day. On average, it takes from several months to six months to overcome the fear of the dark. And once again, we draw the attention of parents - if you cannot cope with your child's fears on your own, seek help from a child psychologist. After all, the sooner a child receives professional help, the sooner peace and quiet will reign in your baby’s bedroom.

Comments

comments