The anxiety level of children begins to take shape according to the environmental conditions they are in during their development process. Anxiety is an emotion experienced by perceiving danger that may arise from a situation or person arising from the internal or external world. The feeling of anxiety increases or decreases depending on the behavior of parents, teachers and friends. It is necessary to know the difference between anxiety and fear. Fear is an excited reaction that occurs in the face of a known, recognized, specific danger. Anxiety, on the other hand, is an excitement reaction given by the person to unknown and uncertain dangers. It has been determined that girls' anxiety levels are higher than boys.
Sources of anxiety according to age:
0-1 year old; absence of the parent, noisy environments, basic needs not being met or being overly dependent on the mother, sudden weaning.
1-3 years old; encountering a stranger, absence of caregiver.
3-6 years; darkness, animals and imaginary creatures, sudden environmental changes, castration in boys, the realization that girls' sexual organs are different from boys, the arrival of a new sibling in the family.
6-7 years old; strangers, noise and loud voices, thunder, bad fairy tale heroes, separation from family, being alone at night, starting and going to school, not being able to make friends and being successful
In adolescence, making close friends, being a member of a group. When we look at the effects of anxiety, we should not forget that every child is different and their reactions will be different. Oppressive or extremely rejecting family attitudes experienced during childhood, humiliating behaviors, punishment, keeping the child under physical or psychological pressure, reacting to the child's bedwetting and sexual games, overprotective attitudes, conflicting wishes and inconsistencies of parents, and divorced families Continuing conflicts between parents even after divorce can cause anxiety in the child.
Since anxiety is a contagious emotion, the child He/she is influenced by or can identify with the anxious people around him/her. As a result of the anxiety passed on from the mother or father, the child may establish new connections in his mind and begin to feel anxiety about some people and situations around him. The number of siblings may affect anxiety depending on the family's attitudes and behaviors. It may create concerns arising from jealousy, such as parents not preparing the child for the new sibling, discrimination between siblings, unequal attitudes, and not being able to win the love of the mother and father.
What should parents do?
The first step is to try to understand the child. Then it is necessary to talk to him about this issue and of course listen to him. It is necessary to approach his anxiety or fear with respect, without underestimating him. Overreacting will increase the child's anxiety even more. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain calm. Likewise, he should not allow himself to escape from what he is worried about by showing an overprotective attitude. He will not have the opportunity to make sense of what he is worried about. He/she should reward and motivate when he/she takes a step in a situation related to anxiety or fear.
SELF-CONFIDENCE IN THE CHILD
Self-confidence; As a result of a child developing good feelings towards himself, it means that he feels good, is happy to be himself, and as a result, is at peace with himself and his environment. Self-confidence is a feeling that develops gradually in children from the age of 0-6. Learning that begins within the family includes teachers and the entire environment, along with school life. Therefore, family attitude plays an important role at this point.
His self-perception is formed by the reactions he receives from the environment and his thoughts about himself. The self-confidence of the child who is loved by his elders, who finds the attention and closeness he needs, whose ideas are valued and taken into account, who is trusted and given responsibility, who is praised and proud of the things he does well, who is guided in the right way in the mistakes he makes and who is accepted with the characteristics he has, will have a healthy self-confidence. develops. Self-confident children mean self-confident adults of the future.
What should parents do?
-
The home environment should be made into an environment where everyone trusts each other.
-
Give him He should make him feel that you trust him
-
He should give him opportunities to share his own thoughts
-
You should be open about your feelings when talking to him
-
You should discover your child's talent and creativity
-
You should be a model with your behavior
-
Explain the child's mistakes, his positive aspects, without blaming him.
-
Expectations from the child should be appropriate to his age and level
-
We know that all children are different from each other and that each child has a unique structure. It should not be forgotten that he is a child
-
He should be given responsibilities
-
He should be motivated and rewarded for every positive behavior.
Read: 0
