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Helping Your Children Deal with Fear (Part 1) · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to another episode of 5-Minute Parenting.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to be talking about helping your children deal with fear, part one.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: In our next two episodes, I will be sharing how you as a parent can help your children deal with fear.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: All children go through childhood fears, whether real or imagined.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, praying for them and with them is at the top of our list, but there are some other specific things we can do to help them deal with and overcome not only their childhood fears, but learn how to deal with fear as they grow into an adult.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Teaching our children to manage fear requires us to do two things.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: One, we must help them develop a capacity to trust us as parents and to trust in a powerful God who loves them and is always there for them.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, we must help them gain strategies for overcoming fear.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: Strategies that will help them manage fears on a daily basis.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: So, first of all, how to cultivate a healthy capacity in your child to trust you with their fears.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: We can help our children build trust by spending quality time with them.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: We can listen to their concerns and show them that they can trust us with their concerns and fears.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: Respecting your children's feelings is probably the most effective way to build trust and earn your child's confidence.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes in an effort to encourage our children, we unintentionally minimize their feelings with a well-meaning platitude.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be afraid, just trust God.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: When a child is feeling afraid, we need to recognize those feelings rather than trying to change them.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: Cultivating our children's ability to trust God specifically is the greatest thing we can do to help them combat fear in their lives.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: Faith in God is the ultimate weapon against anxiety, fear, and stress.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: Fear is always based on lies that seek to make God out less than He really is.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Fear breeds fear when there's an absence of trust in God's goodness and power.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: We can help our children understand a loving God who is kind and cares for them.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: Finally, as parents, we need to model trust in God.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_00: We can pray as a family and ask God to help us when we need help.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: We can share answers to prayers that we have with our children.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: When our children see our trust in God, they are more likely to also trust in Him.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, we need to help our children identify their feelings.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: Helping children acknowledge their fears is the first step to overcoming them.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes just naming their emotion brings relief.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: When a child is able to admit, I feel afraid, it makes him or her feel less helpless and out of control.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: As a parent, we can ask open-ended questions to help a child understand their feelings.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: What's going on?
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_00: What are you feeling?
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, identify underlying reasons for fear.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: To overcome fear, our children must learn to identify what that fear is and then learn to disarm the beliefs that sustain that fear.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Is their fear something physical, such as afraid of the dark, monsters under the bed, bad news on TV?
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Or is their fear emotional and related to their self-image?
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Does your child have underlying doubts about themselves?
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: For example, is their fear being caused by bullying or ridicule?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: If so, we can help them realize the truth about themselves, that they are loved and cared for by God and us.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: By helping them identify the reason for their fear, we provide the truth they need to help them overcome fear.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: In our next session, we will look at some practical ways that we as parents can help our child overcome their fears.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the information I shared today is available in an article by Wesley Fleming, a pastor and the author of Raising Children on Purpose.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: I will put the link to that article in the notes.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: I also highly recommend a great picture book for young children, God I Feel Scared: Bringing Big Emotions to a Bigger God by Michelle Newturt, LPS, LPCS, and Tama Fortner.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_00: This book is great for really young children.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: The link to purchase a book is also in the notes.