Highly-intelligent DS9 has been diagnosed with anxiety. I’ve posted previously on him in general, so I’ll try not to repeat too much here.
Unfortunately, he lets his anxieties rule his life, and actively (and aggressively) avoids any situation that he even thinks might cause him stress. He is completely irrational about his fears and will not listen to reason or take suggestions.
For instance, he is currently refusing to go on vacation with us because it requires a 3-hour car ride. He thinks that he will get sick in the car. He is also nervous about going to a new place, being able to find food there that he likes, etc. We have shown him pictures of all the fun things to do at our destination, such as an indoor waterpark, a zoo and a really cool-looking children’s museum. He seemed very interested in all of them. But he broke down and cried at the thought of going, and told us there was no way we could make him go, and that he would never leave the house.
This problem has been going on in one form or another for over a year.
I’ve read numerous books on how to manage children’s anxieties. However, all of these books so far seem to implicitly assume that the kid wants to discuss and overcome his fears. Not so with DS9. He is an avoider and will either shut down or melt down at any suggestion of talking about or doing something about these anxieties.
Any advice on how to get through to a kid like this?
My wife and I have already booked the trip and we firmly believe that letting him force us not to go would be a bad choice. On the other hand, we don’t think that physically tossing him in the car would be a productive solution either
Thoughts?
