Consider Yourself Warned - F - Fear

Being a parent changes the way you think about some things. Like the price of diapers (suddenly relevant) or the price of a drink at your favorite bar (suddenly not).

One of the things that changes is the way you look at childhood fears. Pre-kids, if you'd asked me about my childhood fears, I might have said something like, "Yeah, I was afraid of pretty much everything as a kid. It wasn't fun."

Now, after many experiences attempting to comfort children who are in the grips of terror due to things like dogs, the dark, shadows, flies (yes really), cats, etc, I would say, "Yeah, I was afraid of pretty much everything as a kid. It must have been terrible for my parents."

One would think that as someone formerly (OK, and occasionally currently) terrified of irrational things, I'd have some idea what to do with children who are terrified of irrational things. But nope.

Here's the one thing I can tell you based on personal experience: it doesn't help if you can't repress your own fears.

On a different note, the one thing a child will never fear is anything that might actually kill them. Moths? Terrifying. Bathtub full of water? A fun toy for day and night, best enjoyed in secret.

Evolution seems to have been asleep on the job for that one.