Fear for children may arise from a negative encounter or experience with a child. Perhaps it happened directly to you or through someone else, either in your childhood or adulthood. For instance, my brother-in-law once suffered from this condition. He had lost a two-month old baby through suffocation with a duvet, which possibly traumatized him. Other reasons may include;
- Child abuse
- Miscarriage or pregnancy loss
- Violence or humiliation by a child
My brother-in-law had the same problem, and as a coach, I advised him to seek exposure therapy. I emphasized on facing the fear by slowly staying closer to children. Repeated exposure to environments with children helped desensitize him to that fear. After around six weeks, there was a change in his perception about kids. I also take clients through cognitive behavioral therapy to look through the origin of their fear for children. I help them realize the cause and how to shift their thoughts about it as a coping mechanism. Some people opt for medications, such as anti-anxiety drugs that make you easy around children. But I do not recommend medicines, unless you are under another form of therapy.
