A few weeks ago I wrote about one of my sons having a slight phobia to insects. At that time I wrote about a simple exposure technique I was using to help him get over it.
Well, I’m happy to report that his fear of insects seems to have gone to near zero. Ever since I went to the back yard with him and later demonstrated the fact that ants can crawl on you and not hurt you, he’s been doing great.
Aside from this, my wife has been pointing out anthills when we’ve been out on walks and encouraging him to get close and observe how they work, which he finds really interesting.
We’ll be doing more of this type of thing going forward – inviting him to not only look at insects but touch them.
So, it’s been a successful experiment and he’s feeling really good about things now.
If you have a kid who’s really scared of something (more than you think they should be), I invite you to read my initial article and give gradual exposure a try. Just remember to be very gentle and let the child set the pace for exposure and never force things.
