Scary Things…

Our baby J is terrified of bugs. Flying bugs, specifically, are the most frightening…the smaller, the scarier. He is also scared of the dark, or an unlit room. Even if there is light coming in through the window, if the lights are off, he won’t set foot in the room.

Remember when little M used to be afraid? She was afraid of everything…bugs, all animals, slides, other kids, everything! But she grew older and braver, and more trusting. She grew to trust that we would keep her safe, and her fight-or-flight defenses started to lower.

Now, our girl is touching butterflies, and bugs, and petting animals and she is doing it like it’s her job. She still is a little wary sometimes, if a larger animal comes around, but she is no longer running for the hills if she sees a dog down the street.

Baby J will come around. He will learn to trust that we won’t take him to a park if the bugs there were  truly a threat. He will learn that it is our job to keep him safe, and he will learn that he is safe with us and around us. Baby J is so brave in so many areas, but in many ways he is even more fearful than little M was. He is more nervous and more easily stressed than our little M was. He always seems a little bit tense and uncertain… maybe it is just his personality, and one of the ways he is different than his sister. Maybe they were both equally stressed out at this point in our family, but he just exhibits his stress in a more emotional way…