Children are much vulnerable to fear as threats, risks and dangers are close at hand. Ask the mother of Taniya (24 months) and she would sadly announce that her child came to know about some ghost story and from that day sleeps with lights switched on.
Small children are immature and their understanding of things is raw. They tend to believe whatever they are told and worse than that they add to their own worries by imagining a lot that is impractical.
“Children live in an imaginary world, which over the time is replaced by the real world,” says Pooja, who works as a childcare specialist. “Coupled with this fact that the kids have a natural tendency to exaggerate things, it becomes a real problem sometimes to convince the child as what is possible and assure the safety.”
Children also derive very simple meanings from their perceptions – whatever they see and whatever they hear. It is either fun or the thing to refrain from. Kids like cartoons because the characters are often funny, yet meaningful to them.
After watching a Spiderman show on television, young Aryan actually believes that Spiderman exists and that he can cast a web or swings high on a rope.
The toddlers are more scared when someone narrates a horrified version of a telltale or similar story. They may also see or experience a normal event as distorted and reatening. For example a ball hanging in the basket may appear in the poor light as an unusual figure or form. Children may also carry fears about other people, some objects or animals.
How Can Mommy Help?
Our experts are of the opinion that parents must try not to expose their children to material and content that involves violence, supernatural phenomena, etc. The parents must also refrain from narrating their children ghost stories or any such tales. The mind of a child is very sensitive and it can just hang on to any idea.
The mother of the toddler, as the child trusts the mother most, has to assure and convince the child that its safety is taken care of and that the kid must not be afraid of telltales or carry fear of other children or people.
Further, the parents must ensure that they get to the root of the problem. A lot of explaining needs to be done and the parents should ensure that they are available and know how to deal with it.