I've tried tubby time, painting time, and tv time - all with a modicum of success. Today I'm trying up-before-the-sun and I make no guarantees that this post will be any good. More. Coffee. Please.
My poor three-year-old has recently developed a few irrational fears. I realize this is age-appropriate developmental stuff, but that doesn't make it any less sad (alright, fine - and funny, too). He's afraid of:
1) Garages
2) Elevators
3) Glow-worms
4) Dogs
5) Swiper the fox (Dora)
6) Mr. Lobard (Handy Manny)
7) Socks with designs
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| Armed for self-defense. |
The poor kid, periodically during the day I catch him backing up slowly from something that is scaring him saying quietly, yet firmly, "Glow-worm is not gonna hurt you. Glow-worm is only a toy."
He watches his favorite shows from the doorway of the living room so he can duck out when the "scary" characters appear.
And, as I mentioned yesterday, he never goes anywhere without his hockey stick.
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| Awaiting an impromptu game of hockey? Or keeping a wary eye out for rogue glow-worms? |
I try to be comforting and reassuring - I know that the glorious development of imagination comes with the price tag of some new fears.
For now I'll hide glow-worm, and put away his socks-with-cars-on-them and try to make the world a little safer for my brave little soldier.
I remember being afraid of the dark as a kid - how about you? Anyone remember their childhood phobias? Anyone else's children afraid of anything? Do tell.
on my babysitting over the pungi, i noticed that the pungi girls have developed phobias of the villians on many of the nick and disney products. can't watch some episodes of berenstein bears as "too scary" as you say age appropriate and they soon move on to things more scary for parents than the kids!!!
ReplyDeletePoor guy, and poor mama, too! Nap time has been in short supply over here as well, so I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteI know I had all manner of irrational fears as a kid. I confess I even have one or two to this day!
I'm waiting for Maeve to develop these - right now she probably has them but can't communicate her fear. Although she is terrified of the shower, she'll scream if you bring her into the same room as a running shower.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're helping your little guy out on this one - kids need to feel as safe as they can in this scary world. Because they're right that it's scary, just not about the sources of danger. :)
My brother's irrational fear of elevators started around this age; he's now 28 and still prefers to take the stairs whenever possible. ;)
ReplyDeleteI have the opposite problem- my three year old lacks the irrational fear gene... which is scary for ME when he walks right up to strangers and starts chatting away.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I feel your pain with no naps. My older one gave up naps completely at 20 months, JUST as we had kid #2. Sometimes, they'll both fall asleep in the car, but that's not very common.
My nephew(around age 4)was fearful of leaves, yes, fallen leaves. Poor thing had the whole family laughing one Fall day in the park, we had to carry him into and out of the playground because the park was surrounded by trees losing leaves.
ReplyDeleteI think "swiper" is scary!!! always stealing from Dora!
Vacuum cleaners - both boys.
ReplyDeleteRogue glow-worms - very funny!
No naps - stinks doesn't it? I've taken to driving Owen in the car somewhere and bringing a book because he will fall asleep in the car. I'll take a few minutes wherever and whenever I can get it!
Ok, my childhood fears that my twin sis shared with me as well...midgets (or little people, I think we are supposed to say now), the dark (we needed two lamps burning brightly in our room all during the night), amputees (this is a sad one but we were scared to death if we saw someone missing an arm or leg), clowns (for obvious reasons), and any short Disney character in the actual park, ie. Chip and Dale or Donald the Duck. I think we were the only kids who hated going to Disney World. This stemmed from thinking there were actual little people hidden inside the costumes. Rest assure these fears have passed, although clowns still give me the hebe-geebies!
ReplyDeleteToday I put Happy Feet on for Beckett to watch and he assured me "penguins are not scary to Beckett at all" :)
I have the opposite problem. Little Corbin is not afraid of anything (yet). When I was little I had a fear of sharks (while in the pool), the dark and flushing the toilet. We'll see if these rub off on my little man! :)
ReplyDeletemy mother says that my older brother developed a fear of the moon around 3-4 years of age! He would cry and panic every time he saw it, and would beg my mom to hide it saying it was following him. How she got thru this phase in his life I dont know. Of course great sibling torture fodder for us when we were all adults! :o)
ReplyDeleteI think one of the best lessons I learned as a parent is to recognize that to kids their fear is a very real thing, no matter how silly or humorous it may seem to us.
ReplyDeleteGood job at helping him understand his fears -- and always helping him to feel safe! Good luck!
And good luck with squeezing blogging time in...I type this with a little on my lap!