How can I calm my 5 year old daughter's fears that she has, that I am going to get fired from my job? I think it is because her best friend's mom, recently got fired. Nothing I say seems to help.”
Make sure she knows what getting fired really means. When my son was small, he worried about me being fired, because he thought my boss was going to set me on fire. Remember, we're never sure of what is going on in their minds.
I agree with the other replies - if you can find out what it is she's really afraid of regarding you getting fired and meet her anxiety with calmness - it will probably do a lot to quell her fears. I think if you show her you're not upset that she will feel she can relax.
Maybe telling her that even if you do get fired that everything would be okay. You may not be able to put the thought of getting fired out of her head but maybe the thought that your family would be fine regardless would calm her.
I would play the "What if" game...
"what if mommy did lose her job?" "Then mommy would just get another one. Probably a better one!"
What are her fears about you losing your job? If you find out what she is scared of, you might be able to talk through the fact that she has nothing really to fear.
4 replies so far...
Flag as inappropriate Posted by Tupper Mom on 7th January 2010
Flag as inappropriate Posted by Heather Mundell on 7th January 2010
Flag as inappropriate Posted by oceans mom on 5th January 2010
"what if mommy did lose her job?" "Then mommy would just get another one. Probably a better one!"
What are her fears about you losing your job? If you find out what she is scared of, you might be able to talk through the fact that she has nothing really to fear.
Flag as inappropriate Posted by Paige Taylor on 5th January 2010