Different events can happen in our life, and many of them are difficult for us to prevent. An adult has experience, but he still feels a sense of fear and anxiety in certain situations. As for the child, he is completely open and trusts the space around him. Therefore, if the child is scared, the right words and actions of adults will help to cope with stress.
1. Do not scold the child for fright
Fear is a natural feeling, part of an instinctive program of self—preservation necessary for survival. It is impossible to scold and punish in any case — in order not to provoke the anger of parents, the baby will suppress emotions, which can eventually lead to nervous tics, stuttering and other disorders. Praise the child for behaving so decently in this situation and being very brave.
2. Discuss what happened
At the same time, parents themselves should be in a harmonious mood. You need to be careful in your words, because children take everything literally. It is easier to transform the situation and gain experience by explaining to the child that the world is different.
Perhaps the dog was also scared and should be pitied, because this is its natural reaction — to bark. Maybe she was jumping for joy and it was not perceived correctly. But in no case should you devalue the emotions of the baby and say that there was nothing to be afraid of or «you misunderstood.»
3. Share your life experience
Tell us about what you experienced at that moment, or whether such stories happened to you. It is important for the child to know that it is normal to be afraid and anxious. Teach him to be friends with his fear, so that he is really a defense mechanism, and not a panic.
4. Play with the child the event that scared him
If the kid agrees, play a home theater with toys, where the child will be the main director. Art and sand therapy will also help. Encourage your child to draw and sculpt the characters of the situation and their fear. Creativity is an effective way to cope with negative emotions.
5. Do not provoke close contact with the dog in order to «knock out a wedge with a wedge»
Often relatives make such a mistake based on their experience. But we are all different and the body’s defensive reactions can be unpredictable. As a result, the child loses confidence in an adult and can experience real horror, the provocateur of which turned out to be a loved one.
6. Show a positive experience in contact with animals using examples of cartoons, fairy tales
Give the child the opportunity to get other feelings and learn about the devotion and love that can be shown in different situations. But do not rush to solve the issue as quickly as possible, let the movement to overcome it be long, progressive, but the result is final and persistent.
Overcoming fear together with a child is primarily a way of rapprochement, a model of joint, effective and delicate problem solving. If the baby feels your support, respect for his feelings and interest in his experiences, then the problems he will face, for example, in adolescence or in a new stressful situation, will not seem unsolvable to him, and he will openly share his innermost with you.
If you feel that you are not coping on your own, or the child of the pack is tormented by nightmares, he is afraid to go outside, stuttering and enuresis have appeared, seek professional psychological help.
The first thing to remember is that a dog does not attack without a reason. Most often, the animal was just scared of a sudden movement (as in the described case). And this is an absolutely normal reaction, just like any living being. Or the dog invites you to play, which is incorrectly interpreted by the child as an attack.
What should we do if we understand that the animal is frightened and trying to defend itself?
No need to shout, run away and wave your hands. Instead, you should stop, you can put your hands in your pockets and give the animal the opportunity to study you and feel that you are a friend and do not pose a danger to him.
And if the child is still bitten?
Don’t panic. Domestic dogs are vaccinated in 99% of cases, and rabies is extremely rare among stray dogs and cats. It is much easier to catch it from the same hedgehog. We calmly check with the owner whether the dog is vaccinated. If not, we ask the owner to monitor the well-being of the pet for 10 days. If the dog is temporarily homeless, it is recommended to place the fluffy one in the vet clinic for 10 days and make sure that he does not have a deterioration in his condition.
We wash and treat the wound, show it to the doctor — he can prescribe injections against tetanus and rabies.
What needs to be explained to the child?
That an animal is just as much a living being as he is. It can experience the same feelings and needs as a person, whether it’s fear, pain, a desire to play or be alone.
If the animal is not in the mood to play, it may have something in pain. No need to force the dog, just wait until she comes up on her own.
When communicating with unfamiliar pets, it is worth adhering to the general rules — wait until the dog «gets to know» you, that is, sniffs, understands that you are a friend, and only after that start interacting with her.
And, of course, you should not force the animal to do something against its will and you should not touch it with your hands without asking permission from the owner.
