he wont sit in the room if the window is open he wont go to the toilet alone..all the windows have to be shut if he is indoors..and totally freaks if he sees one , i dont have this fear or does anyone else in the house hold..any advice or tips would be appreciated..thanks
2006-08-28 06:52:35 · 9 answers · asked by nat c 1 in Family & Relationships ➔ Other - Family & Relationships
he is 4 years old
2006-08-28 06:52:57 · update #1
First of all, take him seriously. What may seem like an irrational fear to us as adults, are REAL and SERIOUS to a child. Support his feelings by telling him you understand how he can be afraid. Don't attempt to convince him his fears are foolish or silly, as then he still is afraid of the insects but now could become afraid of not pleasing or behaving "correctly" for a parent. Too much stress there.
There are medicines and hypnosis options to look into which assist in relaxing phobias, but I'd hate to see these become an option at such a young age.
Perhaps putting some water in a spray mist bottle and pretending to "clear" a room of pesky critters before he enters would help. Spray the water about to make a big show of attempting to check a room. If an insect does show, make sure you are quick to take care of it and your son knows you will aid/rescue him.
If you don't think it would be too traumatizing, try a trip to a Museum of Science where bug displays can be seen. This may give him a chance to view bugs up close and see that as frightening as they seem, some have beautiful colors, interesting abilities, and are even necessary to our environment.
Hope this helps...Good luck!!!
2006-08-28 07:09:30 · answer #1 · answered by shell 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is very natural for a 4 year old to have fears that adults consider matter-of-fact.
They do not have the cognitive ability to yet tell that the little spider (generally) will not hurt them.
It is also possible that the spider reminds him of some other bad experience and is a referral.
There are some possibilities I would recommend. (I never had to deal with this particular fear with my boys).
I wouldn't try to force him to get to know them. This kind of thing could traumatize him.
1. tell him stories where some of the characters are spiders ... in a nice way.
2. draw pictures with him. sometimes this will give you a clue as to what is going on for him.
3. talk to a play therapist ... s/he may be able to get your child to work through this
caution... there are some who will tell you these next suggests are goofy. I suggest these because sometimes imbalances in our physical body can cause emotional and psychological issues.
4. homeopathy. Take your son to a homeopathic practitioner. S/he should be able to give your son a remedy which will help.
5. Cranial Sacral. Take your son to a body work professional. S/he should be able to work out imbalances
6. Take your son to a Frequencies of Balance practitioner to do energy tuning.
I hope some of this helps.
best,
celia
2006-08-28 07:02:32 · answer #2 · answered by cezzium 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Try going to the store and getting him animal books. So through the book and make sure there is pictures of insects and spiders. introduce them to him this way.
Also, Get a spray bottle and put some water in it. Tell him that if you spray him with this special water that the spiders will stay away. Also, tell him that this is how his favorite super hero used this special water to have the insects stay away.
It's worth a try!
You don't have to soak him of course, but just spray a little over his head. That way it forms a force field and they can't get in.
This worked with my son. He's 12 and still doesn't like insects
2006-08-28 07:11:42 · answer #3 · answered by Fire Systems Chick 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I wonder if he saw something on TV or in a movie (like Antz, or a Bug's Life, etc.) that scared him. I remember one of my daughters had some strange fears at that age, after seeing a cartoon that had a scary monster. I had to explain that it was not real or dangerous, and it took a while for her to understand. Maybe your son thinks a bug will attack him.
If you are calm around insects and spiders, and tell him that they are just small creatures who are minding their own business.... "look, this bug is eating a leaf!" ... he will gradually realize there is nothing to fear after all. Good luck!
2006-08-28 07:11:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You'll have to show him that you aren't afraid of it, and describe the bugs for him so he knows what they are. Also, being afraid of something doesn't have to be like a genetic thing in the family you know. I'm afraid of spiders (i was little and big bathrooms spiders can really freak you at at 5 y/o cause they look like big monsters) and never outgrew the darn phobia. Nobody else in my family feels the same.
2006-08-28 06:58:21 · answer #5 · answered by Leela 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a fear of roaches and live in FL, so I feel his pain; I would recommend talking about insects in general and try to find out his reasoning for his fear - are they poisonous, or just scary-looking?
Try to introduce him to creatures that are in a related class but are not "scary-bugs" - I can handle ladybugs, caterpillars (non-spiky or furry...furry or spiky ones are poisonous!) and slow moving bugs that don't fly, like some beetles and the like. Perhaps you can point out those kinds of bugs in the wild and encourage him to observe and see that not all bugs fly, move fast or sting/bite!
- Grown man who jumps from roaches
2006-08-28 07:00:06 · answer #6 · answered by drumrb0y 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
purchase to him spider toy and then make him use to play with it
2006-08-28 07:00:23 · answer #7 · answered by micho 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that sucks.
take him to a counciler . he will eventaly NEED to get over this!
2006-08-28 06:56:25 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, he must have learned that from someone... any ideas? :P
2006-08-28 06:56:19 · answer #9 · answered by Lyvy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋