Therapist Explains Children's Worries, According To Their Age

Jul 16, 2018 by apost team

Adults like to joke that being a kid was the best time of their life and it's crazy to hear kids say how badly they want to grow up. Adults have to worry about rent, jobs, car payments, grocery bills, relationships, and so much more. When you look at a kid playing with their toys, you may think they don't have a single care in the world. What you need to know is that worry does not exclude children.

As it turns out, as we age, our worries evolve to different things as we become more aware of the world around us. Here is what each child worries about at a certain age.

It's never a good feeling to think about your child suffering, but worrying is a natural part of being a human and processing the world. Each child is unique in their temperament. Parents of multiple children may be shocked to have a second child who won't stop crying and throwing temper tantrums after their firstborn was so quiet and peaceful.

Children worry and feel emotions deeply because their brains are being bombarded with tons of new stimuli. It's a lot tougher being a kid than you probably remember! Children can explode with emotions because they don't develop coping mechanisms until they are teenagers. On top of trying to process the world, their brains are growing the fastest in their lifetime until they are 6.

Worrying is hardwired into the instinctual part of their brains called the amygdala because worrying has kept us alive as a species. Although a parent wants to eliminate as much suffering as possible from their child's life, take solace in knowing that worrying is completely normal and a healthy way of growing. The only time you should be concerned about their wellbeing and seek outside help from a therapist is if their worrying is impeding their social, cognitive, or emotional growth.

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Separation Anxiety: During a child's first year of life, their brains aren't developed enough to understand that things can continue existing when they're not in sight. When you leave, your child worries that you're gone forever.

Loud Sounds: Children's minds are hyperaware of everything. Loud sounds can send them into a panicked state because the stimulus overwhelms their brain.

No Control Of The External World: When kids start walking and being more independent, they want the world to be in their control. Fear of the unknown and uncontrollable even makes adults worry, too!

The Dark: Everyone knows how creative children are. Unfortunately, at this age they have a hard time keeping fantasy and reality apart. They don't know what creepy shadows can come out from under their bed!

Adults In Costume: To be fair, clowns are still creepy as an adult. Costumes distort a person's appearance just enough to blur the lines between the familiar and unfamiliar. Sure, that person has human features, but a big red nose and white face paint aren't natural.

Being Home Alone: Children get worried about what they would do if something bad happened without their mom or dad around to protect them.

Rejection: Humans are social animals who need to feel like they belong in a tribe. The playground can certainly be a scary jungle!

Death: At this age, children have likely lost someone they loved, whether it is an older relative or even a pet. Once a child understands that everything must die, that can be a hard pill to swallow.

Appearance: Puberty is rough for everyone. Things are growing in weird ways, hair is in places it never used to be, and pimples are a new horrible reality. We all want to feel attractive and wanted.

Grades: Children never want to disappoint their parents. Grades seem meaningless now as an adult, but they mean a lot to children.

Being Vulnerable: Talking about your feelings can be super tough! Teenagers feel like no one else feels the way they do or went through the same problems. They don't want to feel like a freak. Reassuring your child that they can talk to you about absolutely anything can help them learn to vocalize their emotions better.

Do you remember being worried about any of these things as a kid? Be sure to spread these interesting facts so anyone with children can understand them better!