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Parenting

26th Sep 2021

According to a child therapist, this is what your child fears the most at each age

Melissa Carton

Every child has fears and worries.

From starting school to being afraid of the dark, all the way to fear of failure as a teenager, our children all have their own unique concerns in life.

Each stage in your child’s life is different so of course, they fear different things and it can be hard as a parent to know what to expect and how to quash those fears.

This guide created by a child therapist covers the most common things that children of different age groups worry about and can help aid you in raising a fearless child.

 

The guide posted by New Mammies Ireland shows the top fears all children have from ages two to 20.

For toddlers the things that they are most anxious about are the dark, sleeping alone and loud noises.

I recently wrote an article about how my two-year-old is having trouble sleeping because she’s afraid of being in her room which is pretty much a combination of all of the three main fears for toddlers.

School-age children said that they worry the most about peer rejection, being home alone and bad guys (bad people).

For the oldest age bracket, college-age children, their main concerns were what their life purpose is, academic performance and even death.

 

Every child leads a different life, so their worries will vary given what they have to individually deal with on a daily basis, but like adults, most children worry about similar things.

While as parents we stress out over making sure our children are happy and that the bills get paid, most children across the board fear issues like abandonment and rejection.

Helping our children to become healthy and well-rounded adults start with helping them through their fears and this guide is a great jumping off point and how to do that.