Fear of Insects and Bugs in Children – How We Deal

Dealing with fears our children may have is a struggle to find solutions. If your child has a fear of insects and bugs, it can be hard to handle. My daughter is afraid of all things creepy and crawly since she was small. The issue started with ants and gradually got worse, flies, moths, spiders. If it crawls or flies, she is scared.

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I am sure we all have fears we have trouble dealing with. Mine is spiders, snakes and mice. As a parent with fears, I am trying to help my daughter cope and move on from her fears. We start with the insects she likes but is afraid of.

Fear of insects and bugs

Fixing the Fear of Insects and Bugs

What can parents do to help their kids cope with this fear? Well, to begin with, stay calm. Don’t pick up your child. Talk to them and reassure your child. Do not run away or that will instil the fear more.

When my daughter sees a bug nearby, she begins to panic and jump around. If it gets too close, you will hear a scream. Sometimes she jumps right up into our arms, she is that afraid.

fear of insects and bugs

Solutions to the Fear of Insects and Bugs

  1. Read books about insects
  2. Draw pictures
  3. Name that bug
  4. Be a Bug

As adults, we have the same fears. We have the understanding to know that the creepy crawlers will not harm us, most times. It doesn’t make us less afraid, we just don’t panic as much. As our children grow, we hope the outgrow the fears.

 

We learned about Bees in the summer. While she still flaps her arms when she sees anything that looks like one, she had fun making this little video in SnapChat.

While not all of these solutions have worked, she finds the beauty in butterflies, ladybugs and dragonflies. We have something to work with to help conquer the fears.

 

If we don’t fix the issues during childhood, these fears will follow us as adults.

What are your fears? How do you cope? Don’t be bugged out like us!

Leave your tips and tricks, if you have some to share.

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2 Responses to Fear of Insects and Bugs in Children – How We Deal

  1. angelehm says:

    I fully understand this fear though in early childhood I was anything but.As a child living in a fairly new suburb surrounded by fields and former apple orchards we roamed jar or net in hand. Huge garden spiders big as an adults hand, crickets, grasshoppers, fuzzy orange caterpillars, bumblebees, walking sticks and the Skelton like praying mantis. We captured, handled and studied and released them. I was a tomboy and had to keep up with the neighborhood boys lol. But somewhere between all that I became fearful. When that happened I couldn’t say but I was increasingly repulsed.Was it the time there was the year of of tent caterpillars, Or the big June bug plague that blanketed every surface? Or the time my little bro had a handful of said caterpillars that he squished and chased me with ahhhh .The kid down the street that ate bugs to see our reaction? I know not. My mom practically stripping down when maggots got on her , (quite a sight for the neighbors I bet)Today I won’t freak out I relocate to a more comfortable distance. I just do not like them in their grossness and biting ways they creep me out. Yet I can handle snakes, rats go figure! Visiting the Amazon rainforest canopy is out of the question , just imagine lol! You are doing the right thing and I am sure with time and your gentle presence the bugs will be the interesting critters they really are.

    • Mama Bear6910 says:

      I played with bugs as a kid until I uncovered a rock and there was a bunch of spiders.. now I cringe when I see them.

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