Almost every child is scared of something, from monsters in the cupboard to dogs in the park. But the fact that such fears are common and normal doesn’t mean they can be taken lightly. Kids experience fears and phobias （恐惧症） much more strongly than adults. And the influence of the fear can be physical as well as psychological （心理的）. It can build up so they almost seem scared of everything-a kind of childhood anxiety. Dr. Creswell says:“Your child may always seem to expect the worst to happen and lack confidence in his or her ability to deal with any challenge.”So don’t make the same old mistake of treating them as if they’re silly for being a“scaredy cat”. Handing the fears is essential.
Children can be born nervous and．, if you have such a baby, you’ll tend to prevent them from getting worried． So if they fear dogs, You’ll keep them away from dogs, but in fact that can just confirm to the child that dogs are scary. What is worse, keeping your child away from what they fear can turn that feeling into a phobia． Instead, you should encourage them to get in touch with the thing they fear, in a safe and supportive environment. Dr. Andy Field, a researcher of childhood fears, says:“You shouldn’t force, for example, a dog anxious child to go up to a dog. But you can approach it yourself, show them there is nothing to be afraid of, stroke （抚摸） it, and talk about the dog being friendly. Once your child dares to stroke a dog-one that’s good with children, of course-then you should encourage them to carry on until they feel calmer, and reward them for‘being brave’.

几乎每个孩子都会对某些事产生恐惧，从碗厨里的怪物到公园里的小狗。但实际上，这种共有的，正常的恐惧感并不是很轻易的就能消除的。孩子们的恐惧心理要比成人强烈的多，恐惧所带来的影响既是身体上的，也是心理上的。这种恐惧心理会不断增强以至于他们对每件事都会感到害怕，而形成一种童年憔虑症。Creswell博士说：“你的孩子好象总是想着最坏的事情会发生在自己身上，而且他们也缺乏应付挑战的能力。”所以不要再重复同样的错误，把这只“受到惊吓的小猫”看成是愚笨的。抑制恐惧才是最重要的。
有些孩子天生的就会不安，如果你有这样的宝贝儿，你就会保护他们的这种不安。所以，如果他们害怕狗，你就会让他们远离狗，但这样却会使孩子确信狗就是很可怕。更糟的是，让孩子们远离他们所害怕的事物，会把这种情绪转换成恐惧症。相反的是，在安全和有利的情况下，你应该鼓励孩子去接触他们所害怕的东西，童年恐惧症的研究人员Andy Field博士说：“例如，你不能强迫对狗恐惧的孩子走到狗的身边，反而应该是你自己去接近狗，告诉他们这没什么可怕的，抚摸狗，告诉他们狗是很友好的。一旦你的孩子敢去抚摸狗了，这对孩子来说是个好事，接下来---当然你要鼓励他们继续下去，直到他们感到更镇定了，便要对他们的‘勇敢’有所奖赏”。