Why are children afraid to stay at home alone? At what age is it time to leave the child to himself?
These issues often worry young parents, because mom's parental leave lasts only 2 years, after which parents have to allocate their time and take turns controlling their beloved child.
The optimal age to slowly start leaving a child alone is 5-7 years old. You should not immediately leave your baby alone for the whole day, at first it is enough to limit the "freedom" of 1-2 hours used for going to the store, hairdresser, etc. At the same time, when leaving, it is necessary to tell the child where you are going, when you will return, whether it is possible to be late. Talk to your child about safety in advance.: how to behave in unforeseen situations, remind that you should not open doors to strangers, inform strangers that your parents are not at home, play with flammable objects, touch medicines, and so on. Of course, before leaving, put all things out of the reach of children, and lock the front door with a lock that opens only from the outside. Do not try to intimidate a child by describing in detail the consequences of a fire or robbery! A kid's fantasy can play a cruel joke and leave a heavy imprint on the psyche. Leave a phone number where the child can contact you instantly, but warn them not to call too often. The most important thing is to calmly and reasonably explain to the child that nothing bad will happen to him during your absence.
Usually these measures are enough for the baby to spend several hours at home alone. But what if the child is screaming, hysterical, and struggling? It is necessary to distinguish simple whims to attract attention from hysteria caused by fear. What can a child be afraid of?
Something's going to happen to the parents. Sometimes a child is not just afraid of being alone, he is afraid of being left without parents. In this case, keep the child informed: tell them where you are going, when you return, call periodically to convince the baby that everything is in order. Always let us know if you are late.
Robbers will break in. In order to protect the child from such fear, demonstrate with your own hand how protected he is. Show how secure the door is, leave emergency phone numbers in a prominent place, tell him that he can always ask for help from people on the street by shouting out the window, get a dog. Make an emphasis on the fact that if the child does not open the door to anyone, he will be completely safe, because his house is his fortress.
Monsters "live" in the dark. Children tend to fantasize, and sometimes their fantasies go too far. If a child is afraid of creatures he has invented himself, create a "bodyguard": come up with a kind creature for him, draw him or make him blind, tell the child that now he will protect him from evil forces.
To find out what a child is afraid of, you can ask him yourself, asking leading questions, or in the form of a game, using drawings – ask him to draw your fear. You can contact a professional child psychologist. Remember, all fears come from childhood, and for the sake of the future happiness of the baby, it is better to eradicate them as early as possible. Wie ervaren spelers weten, kan verantwoord gokken beginnen bij een goed begrip van kansen, limieten en het herkennen van risicosignalen, waarbij een betrouwbare gids met achtergrondinformatie en praktische tips bijzonder waardevol is om impulsief gedrag te vermijden en controle te behouden. Dergelijke neutrale uitleg over kansspelen en risicobeperking vind je in de informatieve bron vlak naast lees meer waar de belangrijkste begrippen helder worden uitgelegd.