Almost every child is scared of something from monsters in the cupboard to dogs in the park. But the fact that such fears are common and normal doesn’t mean they can be taken lightly. Kids experience fears and phobias much more strongly than adults. And the influence of the fear can be physical as well as psychological. It can build up so they almost seem scared of everything - a kind of childhood anxiety. Dr. Creswell says: “Your child may always seem to expect the worst to happen and lack confidence in his or her ability to deal with any challenge.” So don’t make the same old mistake of treating them as if they’re silly for being a “scaredy cat”. Handling the fears is essential.
几乎每个孩子都害怕一些东西，从橱柜里的怪物到公园里的狗。但这种恐惧是常见和正常的，并不意味着可以忽视它们。孩子们经历恐惧要比成年人强烈得多。恐惧可以影响身体以及心理。这会让他们几乎对一切都感到恐惧——一种童年的焦虑。克雷斯韦尔博士说：“你的孩子似乎总是期待最坏的事情发生，对自己应对任何挑战的能力缺乏信心。”因此，不要犯同样的老错误，把他们当作是一只“可怕的猫”而愚蠢。处理恐惧是至关重要的。
Children can be born nervous and if you have such a baby you’ll tend to prevent them from getting worried. So if they fear dogs you’ll keep them away from dogs but in fact that can just confirm to the child that dogs are scary. What is worse keeping your child away from what they fear can turn that feeling into a phobia. Instead you should encourage them to get in touch with the thing they fear in a safe and supportive environment. Dr. Andy Field a researcher of childhood fears says: “You shouldn’t force for example a dog anxious child to go up to a dog. But you can approach it yourself show them there is nothing to be afraid of stroke it and talk about the dog being friendly. Once your child dares to stroke a dog - one that’s good with children of course - then you should encourage them to carry on until they feel calmer and reward them for ‘being brave’.”
孩子可能天生紧张，如果你有这样一个孩子，你会倾向于防止他们担心。因此，如果他们害怕狗，你会让他们远离狗，但事实上，这只能向孩子证实狗很可怕。更糟糕的是，让你的孩子远离他们害怕的东西会使这种感觉变成恐惧症。相反，你应该鼓励他们在一个安全和可依靠的环境中接触他们害怕的事情。儿童恐惧研究者安迪·菲尔德博士说：“例如，你不应该强迫一个对狗焦虑的孩子走向狗。但你可以亲自接近它，告诉他们抚摸它不用害怕，狗很友好。一旦你的孩子敢抚摸狗——那当然对孩子们很好——那么你应该鼓励他们继续，直到他们感到平静，并且因为‘勇敢’奖励他们。”
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