Need Help with Daughter Who Is Developing Fears of Things

My aunt came up with this solution for me!!! She made my child a magic pillow... My child had a night mare of spiders and omg was she freaked out about going to bed so my aunt made a pillow but filler it with plastic grocery bags... The magic pillow goes under her pillow at night and the soulnd of the magic pillow scares off everything from spiders..to you name it... But maybe make her 2 difrent magic pillows fill one with dries beans for when it storms.... And one with the plastic for other things ... And it does not have to be that big.. Good luck

J.--Good morning! I don't know how to stop your daughter's fears but I do think she may be getting more exposure to events that could be fanning them than you realize. There has been a lot of news coverage on Tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc. My guess would be that she is seeing these images (even if it is just in news breaks or commercials) and is being frightened by what she is seeing and hearing. If I were her age and heard about Tornados wiping out an entire town or that hundreds of people drowned in a flood of some sort I would start to worry that it could happen to me also. I would try talking to her about why the storms scare her, what does she think may happen? And then if you haven't--make a safety plan together---or go over the one you have and that may help her feel more comfortable with the storms. As far as the water issue, I again would ask what does she think will happen? If she is ok jumping off the stairs is there a reason she has to jump from the side or are you just trying to prove that it is ok? If it is not part of the lesson that she jumps from a particular spot I would just let her jump from were she is comfortable. As long as she learns what to do once she is in the water I think she should be ok ---and she may just grow out of this on her own as she starts to interact with other kids her age at the pool and they are jumping in and playing games.
If the fears start to get worse you can talk to your pediatrician and see if he/she can recommend a professional for your daughter to talk to.
Good luck

My daughter also panic when a storm comes or it starts to rain. She always think after the rain there comes a storm. She is 7 and just started having this fear for a year now. I think it is common. They are realizing the reality of how some storm can become dangerous.

These are probably just normal childhood fears, but you might also want to consider getting her cortisol levels tested(morning, fasting). If normal, you may still want to get them re-checked every couple years.

i think all kids go through little spurts like this. you know like the fear of the dark and monsters in the bed or in the closet type of thing. even though they seem irrational to you, they are very real to her. the only thing you can do is comfort her and reassure her that everything is ok. have you tried talking to her about these fears? has she seen something on tv or heard some one saying something that might have triggered the fear? just don't chastise her for her fears, but don't encourage it either. she'll grow out of it.

As a swimming teacher in Raleigh - see swimlessonsraleigh.com - I understand this and was also a scared child. I would say to focus on something else when the scared block comes up - ie, in the pool, start doing something else and basically ignore the fear - so many times it is their way of trying to control when they feel they are out of control - hope this helps!!
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also mom of 3, teacher and life coach

Hi I'm a mom of four. (two @ age 18, 12 yr girl and 9 yr girl) I understand about the irrational fears. I occasionally go through this with the youngest one. With the thunderstorms, no matter how freaked out she gets, I stand with her by a window or outside (if not raining yet) to watch the storm roll in. I talk about how pretty it looks. But when the warnings come on tv she starts to panic again. I am constantly explaining to her how this happens all the time and nothing has happened to us yet. Try to let her see the beauty of it instead..
Next the swimming thing...I can only suggest that you let her know it's okay to use the steps. If she more comfortable with using them. I wouldn't make a big deal about her jumping in she may fear all the time then. I hated the water growing up and refused to go in. I didnt learn how to swim but a little bit when I was 18. The more anyone made a big deal about me and the water the more I feared it. So maybe if you say nothing and let her do her thing at her pace than things will be okay and less stressful for you at leisure time. Good Luck!

i dont want to scare you but talk to your doctor it sounds like this could be the beginning of a panic/ anxiety disorder. i had "odd" fears growing up and no one thought much of it other than being kids stuff. but now im on disability b/c i cant drive or be in public places b/c of anxiety. talk to her and see what other things scare her then talk to her doctor. i wish they should have realized what was going on with me long ago we could have nipped it in the bud. good luck!

I also have a daughter with a big fear of storms and freaks out even with warnings on the news. Though we have not worked out a great way to deal with this, I will say that the advice about not worrying about it, she will grow out of it does NOT always work. She is now 11 and we are still dealing with it. We have not experienced any personal problems or losses with storms. I know getting upset with her will not work, so we just try to sooth her and watch the storms from the window, helping her see that we are all okay. Trust me, ignoring or downplaying the fear does not seem to be helping.