7 tips for anxious parents and children
It is completely normal for parents to worry about their children their whole lives and want to protect them. And it is also normal for them to be a different type of risk-taker than their children or to have different fears in some situations. There are many support programmes available for parents so that children can still develop according to their personality.
Anxious parents
- Fear of water: If you don't feel comfortable in the water yourself, give your child a swimming course.
- Fear of heights: Your child is a climbing monkey, but you yourself are afraid of heights? «Then send them to the scouts, to the sports club - or take their godmother to the high ropes course,» says Philippe Keller from the Swiss Scout Movement.
What risk type is the child?
Is the child more of a courageous daredevil or a cautious observer? Does it skilfully master risks or does it sometimes overconfidently overstep its own boundaries? «It's very important for parents to find out what type of risk-taker their child is so that they can introduce them to risks accordingly, either encouraging them or setting rules and limits,» says social pedagogue Lu Decurtins.
Anxious children
If children tend to be anxious types, this means for parents:
- Show understanding: understand their fear and take it seriously, but also encourage them to step out of their comfort zone. Such children should of course never be called cowards or scaredy-cats - not even in jest.
- Do not make comparisons with other children: Comparisons with other children («He dares to do the same!») are also unhelpful.
- Formulate tips positively: It is advisable to formulate tips positively instead of constantly warning children about dangers. So not: «Crossing the road is dangerous», but: «Watch out for the cars when you cross the road, then you'll get across safely».
- Create small challenges: Anxious children can boost their self-confidence with small experiences of success. To do this, choose small challenges and let them gain positive experiences.
Main article «Courage is good for you: how to make your child a risk-taker»
Dealing with peer pressure
Children will find themselves in peer pressure situations as teenagers at the latest.
- Saying no: «It's good to have told your child that it's often much braver to say no instead of going along with everything,» says Lu Decurtins.
And in most situations, in his experience, there are at least one or two others in every group who might not feel like stealing or breaking into the swimming pool: «You have to find them, because it's always easier to oppose the group leader's idea together.»
