The manifestations of fear are different in each child, as well as the intensity of the feeling and its nature. But you can set true chronological pattern of childhood fears, how these fears evolve as the child grows.
The fears felt by the baby and the child are varied, and in an attempt to systematize, American psychologists Thomas R. Kratochwill and Richard J. Morris establish a table of childhood fears considered "normal."
In his work "Treating children's fears and phobias: a behavioral approach" we observe the following evolution of childhood fears.
- Babies from 0-6 months: sudden loss of the support base (of the support) and loud noises.
- Babies 7-12 months: strangers and objects that you see unexpectedly.
- 1 year old children: separation from parents, toilets, wounds, strangers.
2-year-old children: loud noises (sirens, vacuum cleaners, alarms, trucks ...), animals, darkness, separation from parents, large objects or machines and changes in personal surroundings.
3-year-old children: masks, darkness, animals, separation from parents.
- 4-year-old children: separation of parents, animals, darkness and noise.
- 5-year-old children: animals, separation from parents, darkness, "bad" people, bodily injury.
- 6 years: supernatural beings, bodily injuries, thunder and lightning, darkness, sleeping or being alone, separation from parents.
- 7-8 years: supernatural beings, darkness, fears based on events issued in the media, being alone, bodily injury.
- 9-12 years: exams, academic performance, bodily injury, physical appearance, thunder and lightning, death and, in a few cases, darkness.
That is, while the fears are natural and universal, they are usually passengers and change and evolve in the same person, being able to overcome.
As parents we must seek the prevention and overcoming of fears, as well as prudent behavior in dangerous situations.
And although childhood fears are part of a growth process, they can also be warning signs, so you should not minimize them and, before new manifestations, think about whether they derive from new circumstances in the lives of children.
In short, although fear is a natural feeling and has a connection point with the nature of humanity and with the need to preserve life, it is not pleasant for anyone, and parents can and we must mitigate those fears of our children as they evolve.
