Fear of the unknown…
Everyone goes through it at some point in his life! Your imagination races on what could happen, most of which is very unlikely. But as you think about it, that fear seems to get bigger and bigger, and therefore seemingly harder to overcome.
What about when your child has fear?
And what if your child has special needs and it might not be as easy to comfort him?
My son has been to many appointments through the years and has overcome many fears. That white roll of paper on the examination table at the doctor’s office would strike fear as soon as he would see it. But the more he went, the more he realized the doctors and nurses were nice and that he would be ok.
Getting bloodwork taken was another fear! You try to reassure him it will be quick and won’t hurt too much, but he remembers the last time and isn’t too sure. Well this last set of labs he took, we talked to him about being brave, that he can do this. And with Mom and his brother by his side, he did it like a champ!
… Then you have the dentist. Some people have a fear of the dentist, and my son is one of them. Even with encouragement, my son has been very afraid of the unknown. We have tried to have him see his brother get his teeth cleaned first, but sometimes, the schedule doesn’t always work out and any slight change of plans is enough to break down any courage he was building.
Well recently we had our 6 month appointment at the dentist. We again started at home a day before talking about going to the dentist and showed him how we open our mouths up real wide when we get our teeth cleaned. The morning of, we talked about it again and opened our mouths. We even talked about how it tickles when they clean our teeth! J Then on the car ride, we talked about going and that he’s got this.
We get there and they take back my older son. “Can he sit and watch him?” Yes they obliged my request again. …Then the schedules started to change. We sat and waited for the rest of us to go. And waited. Will he lose his courage? Then we get called back and his brother goes back with him. As I sit in the next room, listening as best as I can, I hear the response of that courage he had built up:
He was brave!
He conquered this fear!
He sat in that chair and had her clean his teeth for the very first time ever!
I could not wait to be able to get out of my chair to tell him how proud I was of him. The hygienist and his brother both were telling him he was doing such a great job, but nothing beat him telling us all,
“I did it!”
This may not seem like a big accomplishment, but sometimes these fears grow into such a beast, they seem too big to overcome. But he did it and each success will be a stepping stone for that next unknown.
What fears have you overcome? How can you use that success to help you with the next fear?
I would love to have a conversation with you and hear more about your story.
Comment here or send me an email from my website.
Thank you for being on this journey with us, shedding a different light on disabilities!
1 Corinthians 12:22-27
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Beautiful