My daughter has a severe fear of all bugs and all animals. She screams at the top of her lungs! Please help.?

Question

My daughter is 6 years old and she has a severe phobia of bugs and animals. It doesn't mattter the size of the bug, it could be an ant, a fly, even a butterfly, she will scream like she is being terrorized and either come in the house or if we are outdoors she will grab on to me for her life. She refuses to play in the backyard because she knows she will probably see a bug. She also has the same problem with dogs, cats, birds, any animal that come close to her she will scream and she will have a panic attack. If we ever visit some one that has an animal they usually have to put the animal in a seperate room because it's too hard for her to be in the same room, her anxiety is too high and she usually can't stop screaming and crying no matter what we tell her. This makes it very hard to go to the park or to go camping or to do any thing outdoors. I would love some advice.

Answer 1

A cause of a phobia is usually a lack of knowledge in the area which the phobia is classified. Maybe if your daughter got to learn more about bugs and animals should would know that they mean no harm. After learning about them she may even be interested in them.

I myself am also afraid/annoyed by bugs. Especially Nat's! Silly huh! But i just try to ignore them. They mean no harm!!!

                                        GOOD LUCK!

Answer 2

Stop responding to her screams and force her to deal with the problem on her own.

Answer 3

She needs counseling, and maybe medication.

Answer 4

My oldest son was like that, though perhaps on a lower level. What really helped him was learning about animals and bugs. We bought him a subscription to National Geographic and watched animal planet together. He slowly became more interested than scared. That's when we bought him the bug hunter kit. He started 'hunting bugs to put into the bug habitat so that he could watch them. Worked for us, maybe it can work for you too? Good luck!

Answer 5

You need to show her that just seeing an animal won't hurt her. It's important that you break her of this habit/fear, because animals can sense it when she is uncomfortable and it makes them tense and on edge... Which could lead to a scary event. Maybe you should buy her some stuffed animals that are, well, animals. Let her play with them and ask her was noises they make, etc. You should take her on some outings that involve animals. Perhaps an aquarium would be a good first trip! All the fish and turtles are behind glass and you are indoors, away from bugs. Most aquariums have a section where you can touch starfish and other small creatures, if she is enjoying the trip you could see if she is up for that. Her fear is most likely do to a lack of exposure to animals. If you live by a Six Flags with a Safari you could take her there, because you drive through it in your car and watch out the windows. Do you watch Jon & Kate plus 8? They took a couple of their kids to different places with animals. I believe they went to an iguana aquarium, a cow farm, and horseback riding. I don't think she has a phobia that needs psychological help, just incorporate animals in fun activities.

Answer 6

My oldest daughter was the same way - she outgrew it. I like the suggestion to get her interested in animals and bugs with magazines and such.

Answer 7

She is way too old to be acting like this! That is totally rediculous and in a sense it is misbehaving!Stop catering to that child or you will be in for a long life of h**l with her! I watched a friend allow her child to act the very same way, and she was even scared of talking to her friends parents. She came over to our house to stay and she would not even tell me what she wanted to drink. She always wanted to tell my daughter what she wanted and have her answer. I told her that she must not be that thirsty if she did not want to tell me what she wanted so I gave her water. Eventually she realized that if she wanted something other thatn water then she would have to speak to me. I was the only adult she would talk to. Her mother couldn't understand why she did this. Finally she started making her daughter talk and say things like thank you for having me to her friend's parents. She told her that if she could not tell them thank you for having her then she was not old enough to go. She only missed a couple of fun things to do before she decided that she better start talking to adults if she wanted to do fun things. They laugh with me now and still say thanks for being firm. Good luck. It is all in your hands though.

Answer 8

Tell her that its okay for her to not like bugs, but its not okay for to scream and cry over them because that is disrespectful to other people because it is annoying.  

You could also show her a bug close up, like let an ant walk along your arm or something, so that she can plainly see that bugs are not harmful.

If she keeps doing it tell her that she should only scream if there is something really wrong, that way you won't know when you hear it whether she is in some kind of danger or has just encountered an ant.  Maybe reading her the story of the "Boy who cried wolf" or something along those lines would get her to realize her mistake.

If this is something that you care very deeply about, and if she still will not stop than maybe you should consider 'giving her somthing to cry about' i.e. spanking her.  If you do so, explain that she really needs to not scream and cry over something like bugs and that you don't want to spank her, but unless she can be a big girl and stop you will have to do so.  Explain that a spanking will give her something to cry about, that should put into perspective that she didn't have something to cry about before.  By spanking I mean 3-5 hard swats with your hand on her butt.  You should only use the spanking as a last resort if the other three methods don't work.

Answer 9

I would advise catching a bug like a lady bug in a jar and keeping it inside if she can tolerate it or outside for a few days and let her observe it. Also get books and videos on bugs that are geared for kids. I am sure the Magic School Bus has an episode on bugs and animals, my youngest loves those movies. They have them on Netflix to rent if you do not want to buy them. I would also try exposing her to an animal like a kitten, they are very cute and small. There are also movies like Homeward Bound that show the wonderful friendship animals and humans can have. You will just have to force it in very small doses in my opinion. My best friend as a kid had brother like this with dogs, he would climb who ever was near and go crazy. He eventually outgrew it. She does not need medicine, that person is an idiot. you have to talk to her about facing her fears and not letting them control her. Yes she is 6 but she can understand this concept. My kids are 7 and 9 and we have talked about this numerous times. But definitely do this in small steps and lengthen them a little each time and be with her for support. Also kids feed off our attitude so much, go at it with a positive attitude and hopefully it will give her more confidence.

Answer 10

Aww poor girl, its a shame she is scared of them, animal are great, im sure you,ve talked to her about it? you might want to take her to a counsellor since it could go on for a long time and she cant go through her hole life that way... if you dont think that is right for her, try showing her somthing like a puppy or somthing nice, first in a picture, then frome a video, then in real life. or go to the zoo after showing her pictures of.. say.. a giraffe? then she will see it in real life (at the zoo) and relize that it wont hurt her.that might help.

Answer 11

I think you need to talk to her doctor. She has a phobia and needs a psychiatrist.

Answer 12

Whats probably best is if you buy touch and feel and picture books to help her learn about them. Explain that they are just like people, even though they don't act like them. I know she is 6 but the only way to help her with this is buying books, magazines, newspapers about animals. Try bringing something up on the computer like an animal computer game maybe. Maybe ask her why she is so afraid? The common answer is because they might hurt her. No matter what you say you cannot change her mind about that but you can keep reassuring her that its ok. Maybe even buy her some fish, maybe a bird or a cat. Then tell her all the cool things about them too. Like say a gfun fact like "Do you know their are almost 1,000 types of cats?" (Not real) or just say "Dogs liek to swim like people.".

     You could also take her to a butterfly hosue and promise her that their is nothing wrong with butterflies or other animals. And then tell her if she doesn't get scared or panic then you guys could go for ice cream after. Or maybe buy her a new coloring book or whatever she likes. Possibly try the zoo. Do the same treat thing with her there. Explain as you watch the animals that their is nothing to be afraid of. And at the end, make sure to praise her, and say "See, that wasn't bad, was it?" And if that doesn't work maybe keep trying, and later go to the doctors for help on this. Your Welcome =].

Answer 13

she is probably scared because she dosent understand what bugs and animals are. you could try to slowly get her used to bugs and animals. start with an ant in a container. have her look at it, and when she gets more comfy with it, explain to her where ants live, what they eat, and just stuff about them. take her outside to watch the ants from a distance. do this for a few bugs, untill she is comfortable with bugs. move on to animals. go visit an old gentle dog that will stay calm and composed. be calm yoursef. just simple routines to gently get her used to animals. has somthig happened to make her afraid of animals and bugs? if so pinpoint it and go see a counsoler.