Mom, I'm scared!

How to distinguish fear from anxiety? What to do if a child is afraid to communicate with peers? How to talk about war, death and other frightening things? The book will help caring adults find an approach to children's fears, calm a frightened child in an environmentally friendly way and teach them to benefit from an ancient and natural emotion.

As a child explores the world, he or she may find many scary things in it: from an angry dog ​​to a monster under the bed. Sometimes he or she is overcome with anxiety before a test or is afraid of the possible loss of loved ones. Adults — parents, teachers, grandparents — may find it difficult to discuss these fears with children without devaluing or shaming them, because we ourselves are easily overcome by panic.

The authors of the book, experts in the field of emotional intelligence Victoria Shimanskaya and Alexandra Chkanikova, suggest not getting rid of fears or denying them, but finding benefit and a resource in them - so that fear becomes an ally for the child, not an enemy.

Each chapter of the book is accompanied by practical tasks and exercises for children and parents, as well as examples of dialogues with the child in each specific situation. Thanks to this, the whole family will be able to make friends with fears step by step.

From the authors:
Whenever a book, article, or training webinar offers you to “get rid of fear,” know that this resource cannot be trusted. Getting rid of fear is a utopia, and fearlessness itself is a pathology almost incompatible with life.

There is no point in dreaming that your children will not be afraid of anything. Let's think instead about how to teach them to be afraid so that fear, this strong, ancient emotion, does not interfere with their lives, but, on the contrary, helps them. Does not cause wild pain, but gives a valuable signal. Does not lead to stupor, but encourages useful and reasonable action.

This is exactly why we wrote our book - so that parents can teach their children the right way to be afraid through everyday dialogue.

P.S. We do not recommend giving this book to children: it is written primarily for those who are going to help others cope with fear. Let's not delegate such a complex function to children - it is better to master it ourselves.

Who is this book for:
For all adults who have to deal with children's fears: parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, teachers, educators and coaches. The book will explain how to cope with your emotions and how to help your child.

Each chapter has sections called “Practice” and “Talking to the Child”.

The “Practice” provides useful tips and exercises for adults, as well as instructions for conducting social and psychological games that will help you study your own emotions and develop emotional intelligence.

The section "Speaking with a child" provides examples of specific dialogues and parental responses. You can use them almost verbatim. But it is better to try to say the same thing, only in your own words - so that they sound natural and understandable to your child.

Author: Victoria Shimanskaya , Alexandra Chkanikova
Publisher: Mann, Ivanov and Ferber
Year of issue: 2022
Cover type: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-5-00195-661-7