# Scared kid advice

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scared-kid-advice/559906>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 8, 2010, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scared-kid-advice/559906 "2010-11-08T15:00:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scared-kid-advice/559906/41 "2010-11-09T17:34:31Z")

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> [@Promethea](#):
>
> Just to muddy the waters a bit, I was an anxious and rather morbid child and I was actually quite reassured when my parents would (kindly) snort at my fears, tell me they weren’t going to happen and then leave it at that. So in other words, less info, not more. For the fire thing, for instance - I think I’d have been less assured by hearing all about the many safety features (or whatever) and more by my dad just giving a snort and saying “Tell ya what - if there’s a fire, I’ll give you £50. Now let’s watch Bambi, huh?”
> 
> Otherwise, to my child brain, I think him taking me seriously would be to take my fears seriously. Which would mean I might be right! Rather like when you hear some totally wackadoodle subject argued about on the news. Just by dint of hearing the subject discussed at length seems to somehow grant credence. Faulty thinking of course, but one that can lend weight to all kinds of crackpot nonsense.

Same here. Actually, I’m an adult, and this still kind of works on me. I’m not afraid of medication like the kid in the OP but I think I have a bit of hypochondria in that on occasion I’ll interpret mild symptoms as serious, or medical ailments that I genuinely do have as indicative of a horrible disease. It generally does help when a third party tells me I’m probably freaking out.

Though this probably isn’t too reassuring to the OP hoping his kid will turn out a normal, emotionally healthy adult…😃

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**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2010, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scared-kid-advice/559906/42 "2010-11-09T21:39:56Z")

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You had a Buffy party and you didn’t invite me?

Yeah, I know that’s not a helpful comment. My daugter is also a great scardey cat, although she’s much younger. I’d tend to think that within reason **Promethea** ’s suggestion should work pretty well.

–Cliffy

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