Please, anyone with advice or who can relate??

Question

I have a 10 year old daughter who has a few phobias. Ever since she was a small baby she has hated loud noises, like balloons popping and fireworks. Since the 4th of July is coming up, this phobia is once again in the forefront of her mind. She starts to feel bad and embarassed about her fears. I have told her that there is nothing to be embarrassed about and LOTS of people, adults and kids fear things, and the fear of loud noises is common. But, she still feels bad. Can anyone share their fears with her? Maybe she won't feel so alone in her fears....Thanks. Please be mindful of language and content, for I intend to allow her to read the responses for herself. Thanks again....

Answer 1

you can get some sparkalers on the4rth of july and that stuff unless she doesn't like that either but i am the same age i am afraid of the dark and i try not to show it even though i kinda do i am so afraid i won't even go in my room when it is dark i have to have my mom turn on the tv or something like that and i have a friend that doesn't like the tunnels in chuck e cheeses and she still won't go in them she did on her party though to make everybody feel good. if this is the 10 year old DO NOT feel bad i am the same age so i understand what it feels like and my friends wouldn't go on some rides in noahs ark because they were afraid and i tried to not made them feel bad and if you feel bad about that don't there are so many other things that you will have to worry about and this is not one of the things that you need to worry about so remeber I AM THE SAME AGE i am afraid of things too and don't feel bad!! there are other people out there that probably are worse so don't feel bad

Answer 2

Hi! I am a mom of two. I can take spiders, snakes, scorpions, ferocious dogs, and whatever else you can think of, but I am petrified of being in the water when it is dark. I have no idea why, but I cannot swim after nightfall and will refuse to have a shower or a bath in the dark. The other day when I was in the bath, the lights blew and I had a panic attack.

Fears are not always rational. Sometimes, that which we fear is something which should be feared. Fear is a healthy thing - it a way for our minds to warn us of danger. On the other hand, fear can sometimes be irrational and go beyond the normal -like mine. I mean, what is so scary about water, right?

The mind is an amazing thing. It can store huge amounts of emotion, and you cant beat it, however hard you try. Some people learn to overcome and live with their fears. Other people, like me, never have.

I used to be embarrased. I used to pretend to my friends that I was just not in the mood for a swim, or a shower when the lights blew. I know they would have teased me for it - but now I realise how silly it would have been. I am not embarassed now. I tell people about this fear, and I am amazed at how so many people then tell me about their fears.

Fear of loud noises is a VERy normal thing. Nobody wants to surprised with loud bangs and pops. You are a very normal person for having such fears, and you are just like all the others who have fears. The only difference is that you are brave enough to tell your mom, and maybe your friends, when there are hundreds of people who hide their fears for fear of being ridiculed.

be brave! 4th of July is not about fireworks and making a noise. It is about thanksgiving and being with your family. So go be with your famly! ask your mom to ask everyone to not bring bangs and baloons, so that you can enjoy yourself. When the fireworks start, put on some loud music, and have some fun with your family!

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hi,

I'm a 26 year old mother of 2 girls and to this day I'm afraid of many thing loneliness, dying, getting a terrible disease, getting in to car accident, darkness, also to a lot of animals like rats, mice , rabbits gin pigs (basically anything furry). everyone has fears. you might want start with small fireworks that way you get used to the sound. because most of the time if you are afraid of loud noises it's not so much fear as annoyance to the loud noise. also you might want to put on earplugs that might help you too. good luck.

Answer 4

My youngest daughter who is 8 also dislikes loud noises, like fireworks and music. I have left noisy rooms with her because she could not take it. You should notice, however, I did not use the word 'phobia', I used 'dislikes'. Frankly why you would even consider this a phobia is beyond me. I went to a Prince rock concert a few years back with my wife and ripped up my hanky and stuffed both my ears with it to deaden the sound. Hates loud noises? Thats good, because the people who love loud noises (or the ones who are exposed to them unwillingly) are the ones lining up for hearing aides in later life.

Answer 5

I fear the loud noises of the fireworks also.But Ilove the bright clors,what i learned to do is wear some ear plugs and put on a set of walkman type of headphones that will play your favorite songs,just a little louder than you should.The music helps take your mind off the loud noises.Good Luck Little One and I hope you can enjoy the 4th of July.I'm already wearing my headphones,the neighbor is lighting fireworks early.

Answer 6

Your daughter's condition might not be a phobia, but rather a condition known as Sensory Integration Disorder. My daughter, who is 9 years old, is finally outgrowing her condition. Her problem wasn't with sound though. Rather, she was terribly stressed by physical touch, specifically on her back and arms. A therapist had us working with her since she was just a year and half. We'd us very soft bristle scrubbers (like surgeons use to scrub for surgery) and gently acclimate her to physical input in the areas she was having the most trouble in. It worked wonderfully and today she shows no signs of having been so troubled before.

Perhaps a similar therapy could help your daughter, only using sound instead of physical therapy. Start with playing some music that she likes at a low volume and slowly turning up the volume. Note carefully which volume levels cause her to start feeling uncomfortable and at which point she can no longer bear the loud music. Play the music at the loudest comfortable levels for awhile and gradually increase the volume levels until she grows accustomed to it.

If her issue is with sudden, sharp noises only, you might try a similar therapy but use a sound effects album, like one you might find for Halloween mood music. Those have lots of breaking glass and stomping and screams and thing like that. Again, start with the volume low and work your way up.

Continue to chart as her tolerance to the noises grows. It'll provide you with useful data regarding her recovery time and gives her a visual anchor to see that she's getting better.

Good luck. I hope that my advice helps considering that I'm nowhere near qualified as a psychologist. I'm just a dad with a girl who used to be afraid.

Answer 7

I wear earplugs so I don't have to listen to loud noises. There are different types so experiment until you find the ones that are right for you. It might be a little anxiety problem. If so, there are some calming things like green tea. Arizona tea makes a nice blend with honey you can buy refridgerated, or just make your own. Also warm bubble baths are very relaxing. Just put on headphones with favorite music. Who says you have to listen to the fireworks?

Answer 8

i jump at the sound at loud noises and sometimes they can be scary. i'm twelve and i don't really have a phobia, but sometimes i can get scared. it's okay if you are scared though. my brother is nine and he gets scared easily too. it's okay and yes there are a lot of people who fear as much as you do. you shouldn't be embarrassed about what you're afraid of. don't worry, the people who laugh at you only have not felt real fear yet and in time, they will know how you feel, just enjoy the holiday and ignore the poeple....

Answer 9

I am scared of crickets. I don't know why but I dance a jig every time I see on. I can see a spider crawling on me and just brush it off like it was just a feather or something. The other morning I got in the tub to take my shower and there was a cricket in there with me. I almost tore the curtain down trying to get out. I yelled at the top of my lungs and shook for about 10 minutes. I don't know why I am so scared of them. I have no reason to be. I have held snakes, spiders, lizards and just about everything else you can imagine. Have you tried to let your daughter light a few firecrackers herself? Maybe start with something small like smoke bombs or even bottle rockets. Her doing it herself might help her to conquer this. This way she can see that it is just a silly noise and can't hurt her. I am trying to get over my fear of crickets this same way. I am going outside looking for them and seeing how still I can be around them. I am making some progress. Please keep us posted to let us know how she is doing.

Answer 10

I am absolutely afraid of worms. I don't know why I fear them, but once my daughter came into the house to show me a worm she found in our backyard (she didn't know my fear). To this day when she's outside I make her show me her hands before she comes in. My daughter also fears the popping sound of a balloon and loud music.