My grandson, 7 years , has a fear syndrome in his mind afraid of everything and seems to be introvert. Relation between his parents is not cordial. He sort of hates his father and does not want him around. He will remain aloof from the crowd while playing football, catch hold of my hand and his grandmothers hand while sleeping. He behaves as a matured person and does not seem to be of his age. He is excellent in studies and quite expert in Power-point presentation and video editing which he learnt by himself but does not have interest in outward activities. I am concerned for him and want to know how can he get rid od his fears and can mix with his friends.

Ans:

Dear NS,

When did this exactly start after he started school?

It helps to go back to that point in time to when this first started to affect him.

Was there a death in the family? A movie that he watched? A story that was narrated to him? Someone in the school shared some content that is frightening?

It is unlikely that he might suddenly have this kind of a fearful reaction.

To assess if this is separation anxiety will require a detailed understanding of his situation.

Children that age as your son can extrapolate one story into another and weave a new story that might have never happened.

Their imagination can take on new dimensions. It will be worth the effort talking to his teachers and the school counsellor.

My suggestion to you is to gather all this information and go to a professional who can handle this.

Is this necessary? YES, as they are trained to deal with fears and panic.

This will help him release these unwanted feelings and breathe easy. Wait no longer.

Till then, surround him with much love and support him by reassuring him that his family loves him no matter what.

All the best!

Ans:

Dear NS,

When did this exactly start after he started school?

It helps to go back to that point in time to when this first started to affect him.

Was there a death in the family? A movie that he watched? A story that was narrated to him? Someone in the school shared some content that is frightening?

It is unlikely that he might suddenly have this kind of a fearful reaction.

To assess if this is separation anxiety will require a detailed understanding of his situation.

Children that age as your son can extrapolate one story into another and weave a new story that might have never happened.

Their imagination can take on new dimensions. It will be worth the effort talking to his teachers and the school counsellor.

My suggestion to you is to gather all this information and go to a professional who can handle this.

Is this necessary? YES, as they are trained to deal with fears and panic.

This will help him release these unwanted feelings and breathe easy. Wait no longer.

Till then, surround him with much love and support him by reassuring him that his family loves him no matter what.

All the best!

Ans: 1. Try going out as afamily, where families have similar age children.
2. Enrol him for an activity/sports class, that he is interested in, around your home.
3. Try staybacks in school- which are after school activities.
As a family have family nights and evening, hearing music together, with everyone's choices, dance together, cook together, tell each other what you like about each other. communication starting at home helps a teen communicate outside.

Ans: Hi !! Anilji, clearly your son is stressed about Maths and studies. This is probably affecting his self confidence and therefore the anxiety in public. Look at what kind of vocabulary you are using at home, children who are good at Maths/ Science are considered smart in our country, is he in such an atmosphere? Praise in public and admonish in private is one thing you need to follow now, to increase his self esteem. Young children, when they develop a" Maths anxiety", I blame the adults, they couldn't teach the child in a way the he understood. Either you teach or hire a one on one teacher to teach him Maths. Use the VAK methods ( pls google VAK method) to teach Maths. It's the adult's responsibility to teach your son Maths in a way he understands. You are in luck, the summer holidays are here, make the most of it, complete the whole syllabus of Maths( when he goes back to school he is already prepared). Show lots of patience and understanding, answer all his doubts, and remember, Maths is mastered by solving sums, revising and repeating. It's going to take some time for him to get out of the fear for Maths and knowing that you'll help him on this journey is going to add to your son's confidence. Happy learning both of you!!