“My kid is scared of everything”
Parenting fearful kids is exhausting. Furthermore, it’s even more exasperating than just “plain old parenting” which is exhausting enough! The fears I’m talking about are the non-life-threatening kind and are often about things other children have no issues with. Importantly, you wonder, why your child is so anxious and scared of everything?
Longing for Curiosity and Courage
Indeed, you would love for your child, lest I say, “To be like other kids.” I’m talking about the ones who don’t seem to be scared of everything. Life would be easier and less stressful. Moreover, it would be great if your fearful child could approach new experiences with curiosity and courage.
Developing Skills
Clearly, all kids are different and deal with unfamiliar activities in various ways. This often depends on their skills. We develop physical and mental health over time, frequently without noticing we’re developing skills. We more easily think about what’s needed for our children’s physical health. The ethereal skills of mental health are harder to pinpoint. In addition, you may ask, what exactly are those skills?
Assessing Skills
To help parents, caregivers, teachers and others assess a child’s mental health, I have put together an introductory skill checklist. The list begins with the basic skills of social and emotional health. Also, the list includes life skills and others for specific emotional needs.
Importantly, basic mental health begins with communication skills, both interpersonal and intrapersonal. Helping kids to be less ‘scared of everything’ begins with building their intrapersonal communication skills.
Less Scared of Everything with phearnik!®
Who wouldn’t want a toy that relieves their kid’s fears and be less scared of everything? Well… phearnik!® is that toy! When faced with non-life-threatening fears, the small quirky plush prompts children to practice mindfulness, an intrapersonal communication skill.
phearnik!® (pronounced: fear-nik) means “Little Fear.” It helps kids to mindfully keep their fears “small” and not let them get “big.” Having a little fear helps keep kids safe. But too much or letting it get “big” stops them from doing what they want or need to do.
“Too little fear and you don’t pay enough attention; too much and you freeze.”
Anthony Doerr, Cloud Cuckoo Land
Support Kids’ Mental Health
This post marks the beginning of my phearnik!® campaign. My goal is to make the cute little plush available to any kid who needs it. I want to bring its subtle powers to help these kids be less scared of everything.
Over the next few months, I will be talking about phearnik!®:
- what it is;
- what it does,
- how it helps boost mental health and
- how I am trying to bring it to kids who need it.
Then in October, I plan to launch my 30-day fund-raising campaign to help manufacture, package and ship phearnik!® and its accompanying picture book to kids who need it.
Help Boost Children’s Mental Health –
- Get more information about how phearnik!® works,
- Find out how the quirky little plush came to be,
- Get campaign updates (like how phearnik!® will be made available),
- Get more mental health skill building info and
- Support the larger mission of boosting children’s mental health skill building!
- Get more mental health skill building info and
- Get campaign updates (like how phearnik!® will be made available),
- Find out how the quirky little plush came to be,
Next blog post – details about how phearnik!® works. Sign up to stay tuned!
