Baby Boo and The Giant Dinosaur

Baby Boo was terrified of the giant dinosaur at the Science Center. She kept her eyes glued to the dinosaur.

I knew that the dinosaur wasn't real, but Baby Boo didn't know the dinosaur wasn't real. She kept her eye on the dinosaur and refused to look away. She didn't trust it, and she refused to move from her safe haven behind the Plexiglas.

Just like us, our children have fears. Some of their fears are real and some aren't. Like us, they can't read the future, and the thing feared seems that it will take over them.

Not all of their fears are behind the safety of a Plexiglas. Some of their fears are real and in their face, and they can't do anything about the fearful thing. Some fears are in their homes, such as domestic violence, poverty, all kinds of abuse, and illness. There is no shield.

So keep in mind, that we face fears that are sometimes real, oftentimes they are not: our children suffer the same way. Like us, they keep their eyes on the fearful thing, until they are reassured by us, that they are safe. The big word for this is "worry or anxiety". Under this stress our children may not perform as well academically, they may develop poor social skills, low self-esteem, and lowered self-confidence: they may develop controlling behaviors such as bullying, "tantrumming", and isolating themselves. We do the same, under stress.

So remember, the next time when your children are afraid, especially of things that you know aren't real. Remember they don't know that it's not real. Let's do for them what we want God to do for us. We don't want God to let us cry until we "self-soothe". We want to be reassured, comforted, and if possible shielded from things that cause us fear.

When we reaffirm that God is in control (our Plexiglas), we look away from the fearful things, and back at the beauty in our lives. When Baby Boo realized that there was Plexiglas, between her and the giant dinosaur, she became comfortable with looking away. Her fear dissipated, and she was able to enjoy the wonderful world that was around her.

What are some of the things you feared as a child? Do your children have similar fears?