Is your child afraid of animals? In spite of the fact that my child is the child of someone who works at a nature center, she is developing some hearty fears of animals these days. Bees, snakes, and dogs seem to be at the top of the list. These fears make some sense, of course. She has had a couple of stings, likely from the local wasps. This makes her tentative around any buzzing thing that flies. She has not grown up with dogs, and although she adores her grandparents’ dog, she really dislikes the barking, jumping, and licking. I understand – after all, a large dog on its hind legs is much taller than a five-year-old. Last year she was so fond of snakes that she had a snake birthday party, but this year she will only hold calm and quiet snakes. This fear is a little harder to explain, but I think she is afraid because she doesn’t like animals that are less-familiar and move quickly.
I think that fears are a normal and natural part of life. It’s all right to be afraid of animals, the dark, or other things. Sometimes bees sting, sometimes dogs bite, and sometimes snakes are poisonous. These fears are logical, in a way. However, when the fears start to change your behavior dramatically, that’s when they become more difficult.
As a small child, one of my siblings was terrified of dogs, and I mean full-on terrified. She would see a dog down the street and would stand rooted to the ground, screaming. This made it hard to walk to school, among other things.
I’ve introduced my daughter to many animals, in part so that she can avoid becoming overwhelmingly afraid of them. However, there’s a balance here. While it is important that I continue to expose her to these animals, it’s important to do so gently. I don’t get her to pet barking dogs. I do point out the beauty of certain dogs and pet them myself, and she might pet the calmer ones too.
I need to work on my fears as well, since the reactions of parents and friends very much shape a preschooler’s fears. I am also tentative about dogs, since I did not grow up with them and grew up with a sibling who was terrified of dogs. Now, I pet dogs, go up to dog owners, and sometimes let them lick my face. However, when they jump and bark I do try to talk calmly to my daughter about what that means, instead of jumping back and reacting with fear. The message of my body language is just as important as what I say.
Does your child have a fear of certain animals? What do you do?
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