Nicole Althaus: It would be nice if you could take away all the fears of your beloved little ones, seal them up airtight and dispose of them with the rubbish. But fear is part of life. Just like joy and sadness. Tell your daughter that. And that fear teaches people to be careful. Close the door together in the evening and, if necessary, close the shutters. And then sing and cook together and show that you can live well with fear.
Tonia von Gunten: How do you deal with your own fears today? And what was it like for you as a child? Talk to your daughter: «I'm no longer afraid of thieves. But you are worried. Please tell me when you have a good idea to deal with this fear yourself, okay?» As a child, the best way to learn how to deal with your own fear is to experience that this feeling is part of the big picture of life and that all people experience such feelings from time to time.
Peter Schneider: I'm afraid you can hardly relieve her of that worry. But you don't have to worry that the fear of thieves will become a constant companion in your daughter's life. Children are more helpless than adults; they also don't have the relativising sausage-like attitude that makes everyday life easier for us adults. They have more time to immerse themselves in their fears and embellish them with all kinds of fantasies. (The same is often true for old people.) At your daughter's age, children have also lost the belief that their parents can protect them from everything. This results in a tendency towards helplessness, which should be reassured, but which cannot be eradicated.
This text was originally published in German and was automatically translated using artificial intelligence. Please let us know if the text is incorrect or misleading: feedback@fritzundfraenzi.ch
