Many parents, confident that their child is already an adult and quite independent, are perplexed to learn that the child is afraid to be alone at home. However, this kind of childhood phobia is a fairly common occurrence.
The fear of being alone does not always indicate the child’s independence and moodiness.
Identify the reasons for the fear of being home alone
The main reasons why a child is afraid to be left alone at home include the following:
1. Parent bullying. A father or mother who threatens a disobedient child with the arrival of Baba Yaga or a “bad uncle” inspires the child with an irrational but intense fear of fictional creatures. Do not underestimate children's imagination and hypersensitive perception of the world.
2. Concern for the life and health of parents. If mom and dad decide to spend the day together and do not plan to periodically call the child and say that they are fine, the child can begin to seriously worry.
3. School or company troubles, negative information from television and the Internet. Even casual news of a fire or a robbery in another region can upset a child’s safety.
The child can express his psychological state in the game and in creativity. Drawing, modeling, composing fairy tales can clearly show the true anxieties of the baby. No need to interfere with him in this matter. It is worth asking to draw your fear or situation, which the child is most afraid of. With the help of toys, a child can project real cases and roles. The most effective way to find the roots of a phobia is to contact a child psychologist, but you only need to do this if your parents cannot cope with the problem on their own.
How to help your child cope with fear of being left alone at home?
When leaving home, parents should always inform the child about where and why they are going and whether they can be late. If possible, you should set a time when you can contact your child by phone. It is necessary to show the baby that he is able to pass the time with benefit. You can buy him a fascinating book or provide another opportunity to do an interesting thing.
Discussion of children's fears with other people and focus on the problem in normal family communication are strongly discouraged. The child may have a feeling of inferiority. You can not make fun and shame a child who spoke about his fear - such behavior will only exacerbate the problem. It must be gently explained that nothing threatens him.
Experts recommend controlling the information coming to the child, so you should limit the viewing of films and programs about murders and disasters, you also need to refrain from discussing negative situations in the presence of a child. The hotel, given to the baby after the parents arrived home, will let him know that they have not forgotten about him.
