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Helping Our Children Deal with Fear (Part 2) · 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 are continuing our topic from last week, helping our children deal with fear, part two.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Today we will look at some practical ways to help our child deal with his or her fears.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, help your children to come up with their own ways to deal with their fears.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: This helps them learn strategies to deal with future fears and builds confidence they can do it.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_00: Wise parents and teachers encourage children to come up with solutions to their fearful situations.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes in our eagerness to provide comfort and reassurance to our child, we can actually do more harm than good.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: Unintentionally, overprotective parents rob their children of opportunities to sharpen problem-solving skills, to learn strategies for overcoming fear, and to grow in self-confidence.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: Rather than offering unsolicited advice to their child.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: A parent might ask, would you like to know what I did when?
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: By asking permission rather than dictating what children should do, parents can help children feel that their decision making counts.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_00: Young children may not be able to do this on their own.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: A great way to help preschoolers handle fear is to play with them.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Children often act out their fears through play.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Encourage young children to write a story, draw a picture, or act out their fearful event to help them resolve their anxiety.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Then talk to them about what they drew.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, model trust in God.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: Let your child know that everyone battles fear, even adults.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: You might share a fear you dealt with as a child or a fear you currently fight.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: By doing so, you can offer an example of how to manage fear and anxiety.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm scared too, but I know that God is with us and can help us.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: That makes me feel better.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: What do you say we pray about it?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, help our children memorize scriptures about fear.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: You can also share appropriate scriptures on fear and help your child memorize a few that they can recite when they are fearful.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: For example, here's one.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: Psalm 56, 3.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: Remind them that the devil hates scripture, so when they speak scripture out loud, they are telling the devil to shoo and leave them alone.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: Let them know they can always pray and ask God to help them whenever they feel fearful.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: God help me not be afraid.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: I know you are with me right now, so show me what to do.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Another scripture that a child could learn, for I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Isaiah 41 13.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: You can have your child imagine holding Jesus' hand when they are fearful.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Another thing we can do as parents is control the flow of fear-provoking information in our home.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: Information can be a heavy burden for children, so it's extremely important to keep exposure to frightening news coverage, movies, and video games to a minimum, especially when kids are young.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_00: By controlling the flow of media into our homes and accurately interpreting the data that children see and hear, we can reduce the level of anxiety in children.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Though we may not always be able to prevent fearful events from entering our children's lives, we can help them develop lifelong strategies for coping with fear, methods that spark faith and deepen their dependency on God.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Some of the information I share today is from an article by Wesley Fleming, a pastor and author of Raising Children on Purpose.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: I will put the link to that article in my notes.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: I also highly recommend a great picture book for young children, God I Feel Scared.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: Bringing Big Emotions to a Bigger God by Michelle Neitert, LPC S and Tama Fortner.
• 4:57
  SPEAKER_00: I will also put that link in the notes to today's episode.