Parenting an anxious child can often feel like walking on egg shells. Seeing your child so stressed, you don't know what will put him over the edge. Afraid of saying the wrong thing, parents often hold back or reassure, but then when things don't improve, frustration wins out and parents often respond with anger. Though parents wish they could take away the pain and struggle, they usually know in their heart that without addressing the problem, things will only get worse.

Parents are in the best position to teach their children about anxiety, because a parent's reaction in a situation is like a fork in the road, it can either help a child see that there is a way out, that things aren't as scary as their anxious thoughts are making them feel, on the other hand, responding with your own fears to your child's behavior can inadvertently reinforce fears by lending credibility to them. The more you learn about how anxiety works, you can integrate that information into what you already understand about your child and be effective in keeping the fine balance between helping your child feel secure and helping him or her overcome anxiety. Like most things in life... how to read, how to add and subtract, learning anxiety management skills will be most successful when you work at them step by step, practice frequently and celebrate successes. In addition to the parenting information here, please see Anxiety 101 for specific language for how to talk to your kids about anxiety.

Child Anxiety Tales - Online Parenting Program

Learn what you can do to help your child manage stress and anxiety. Developed by experts and evidence-based.