Concern for my daughter

[Amanda]

Hi I have stumbled across this forum when trying to do some research and wonder if anyone can help me please?

Over the last year my daughter who has just turned 5 has developed a fear of newspapers. It started off with her asking for it to be removed from dining table before she would sit because she didn't like the smell to tonight she went into total meltdown because shouted her into a room where I was reading one. She ran away downstairs screaming and shaking and by the time I got to her was in floods of tears.

Its not put on or tantrum she is genuinely terrified and I don't know what to do about it. She starts school next week and is likely to encounter newspapers there too.

There is not much online other than it may or may not be called chloephobia and a woman was in the paper who had it.

Any advice would be really appreciated.
Thank you
Amanda

 

[Admin]

Hi Amanda

I am the owner of the site and if you can leave this with me I will do some research and come back to you asap.

I appreciate this will be very traumatic for both you and your daughter - I have one person I can ask who might be able to give some advice.

Regards,


Mark

 

[Admin]

Hi Amanda

Many thanks to Peter Strong at the www.counselingtherapyonline.com for his advice which is as follows:-
https://www.counselingtherapyonline.com/
"The fear may associated with the size of the newspaper. It may look intimidating to a 5 year old. One suggestion might be to cut the paper into smaller pieces, say 10x10” (find out what she can tolerate). Then invite her to take the small sheets and tear them into smaller pieces still, or let her crush the sheet into a ball and throw the ball into the trash bin. The exposure will help and the interaction will help her build her sense on power and control over the newspaper. She will probably have less fear of smaller pieces of paper. Make a game out of this and reward her with ice-cream or whatever she likes. Play is a primary mechanism through which young children develop a sense of their own power. Later have her use full sheets of newspaper to paint a picture on."

Amanda, could you let us know how you get on please?

 

[Mark]

All of these suggestions look obvious when you read them but they could hopefully change the life of a young girl.

 

[Admin]

Hi @Amanda

Just looking back on some of the older posts, how is your daughter getting on?