Anyone have an elementary-aged kid with irrational fears? They seem to come and go in waves for my 7 year old daughter, but some have stuck around. I'm open to any and all suggestions beyond my "be compassionate but rational" with this.
Examples: she's terrified of costumed characters (think Disney World) and mannequins (mostly just the kinds that have painted on facial features, she can survive a trip to a shopping mall). Sometimes she can tolerate their presence, other times she is literally so panicked that fight or flight kicks in and her brain chooses flight. I had to chase her once in a baseball stadium when the mascot was unexpectedly around the corner. She very logically knows it's just people inside fuzzy costumes, and just giant plastic dolls dressed up and painted, but it doesn't help at all in the moment.
Lately she's also been afraid of every little noise in the house, which has resulted in a fear of certain areas of our home such as walking past where the furnace is to get to the family room, or she's afraid of the closed shower curtain in the bathroom so it has to stay open all the time, and even then the bathroom still freaks her out. She still goes to these places, but calls out to me a lot, or runs by with her eyes closed.
I don't know what to do to help her. She's leery of and often refuses to go to parades and amusement parks and carnivals (costumed characters), museums and antique shops (mannequins), and that has to be miserable for her to feel on edge like that or know she's missing out. Any advice?
