Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Intro and question about potty training

When my daughter was 3, an adult we know would tell her that the police were coming for her whenever sirens sounded. It was all done with good humor and smiling faces, too. She spent a year in fear of sirens, and only explained it to me a few months ago. Our friend had no idea that he'd traumatized her and feels lousy about it.

Adults can tell lies in jest, but the fear in the child is real.

There's a big difference between telling a child that police are coming for her, whenever she hears a siren, and telling a child that a law is set by someone else and it's not your discretion whether she follows it. There are plenty of other laws that DD follows, like standing up for less-able people on the train, or waiting to cross the road, and she's not afraid police are going to arrest her if she forgets one of those. She knows what police are there for, and she knows they don't arrest kids. Honestly, I know you mean well, but you've jumped the gun.